Friday, 13 December 2013 ~ Roxie

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Revelation 11, Obadiah

Today's scripture focus is Luke 23:44-46

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[a] When he had said this, he breathed his last.

For three hours, Jesus, wrists and ankles pierced through by coarse spikes of metal, hung on   a cross of wood, alternately shifting his weight from his feet to his wrists, exchanging the pain of one position for the breathlessness of the other. 

For three hours, Jesus listened to the mocking of not only the soldiers, but of passersby, rising in angry tones above the weeping of his mother…and of his friends. 

For three hours, Jesus stayed true to his Father's will…did he think about calling down ten thousand angels? Did he think about stilling the tongues of the mockers? Did he think about blinding the soldiers?

…and what brought about the darkness?

Depending on the translation read, the darkness may have already been casting a solemn, terrifying note upon the morning when at the stroke of noon, "the sun was darkened" (NKJV), "the sun's light failed" (ESV)…it failed. What did that look like? What did that feel like? When the sun should be shining at its very brightest in the middle of the day, it fails. Did it flicker like a lightbulb and go dark? Did it fade with the dying breath of the One who was present at the moment of light's awakening? Did it shrink into the surrounding dark of space, hiding from the agony of the Creator of all, who tied His own hands and sent His Son to suffer like the lowest of the low…this Son, "the radiance of the Sh’khinah, the very expression of God’s essence" (Hebrews 1:3a, CJB)…fading...

Then, as Jesus breathed his last breath, the very symbol of humanity's separation from God was torn in two. The 60 feet high by 30 feet wide by 4 inch thick veil that "separated the holy of holies where God dwelt from the rest of the temple where people dwelt" (Andrew Wommack Ministries) was torn in two. No could human hands have rent the perfectly woven veil from top to bottom; only God, Himself, could have done so.

Only God, Himself, could end the separation between God and humanity.  Only God, Himself, could expose the Holy place, making the dwelling place of the Most High God accessible to sin-soiled humanity. 

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

In a beautiful symbolism, a depth of meaning no priest or prophet could have ever imagined, God's plan was fulfilled…and humanity can approach the throne of GOD with confidence and full assurance of faith.

Monday's scripture focus: Luke 23:47-49

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Jonah 1,2

Thursday, December 12 ~ Miriam

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Revelation 10; Amos 7-9.

Today's scripture focus is Luke 23:39-43

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.”

I think many of us have had attitudes similar to both of the thieves who were crucified next to Jesus at one time or another.  On the one hand, we want to do what we want, when we want.  We sin repeatedly, knowing that what we are doing is wrong, but we do it anyway.  We make a mockery of Jesus' sacrifice, like the first guy in the passage.

And then we take a good long look and realize that we are being ungrateful for God's gift, which we don't deserve and can't possibly earn, and then we repent, like the guy on the other side.

Mark Driscoll has done extensive study of crucifixion, and if you have any interest, I recommend that you read about it in the sermon Jesus' Crucifixion and Death.  It's not easy reading, but it really drives home what Jesus went through to bear the burden of our sins.

The following is an excerpt talking about Thief #2, the repentant one:

And lastly, one who comes to faith is the sinner at the side of Jesus. And as others are mocking Jesus, he says, “Have you no fear of God? Do you not know who this is?” He rightly proclaims the sinless nature of Jesus. “This man has done nothing wrong.” And then he says, “But I have.”

See, this is where Christian faith begins. It begins with an acknowledgment, an honest assessment, “I’m a sinner. I’m a sinner.” You can’t blame it on your parents. You can’t blame it on your culture. You can’t blame it on your genetics. You can’t blame it on your personality type. You’re just a sinner. I’m a sinner.

We sin in our thoughts. Aren’t you glad people can’t see what we’re thinking? We sin in our words. Have you said or typed something you really regret? We sin in our deeds. Have you done things you weren’t supposed to do? We sin in our motives. Do you do good things, but just to manipulate others and get praise? Do you get angry and upset when people don’t compliment you for the good things you did? We sin through commission. We do stuff we’re not supposed to. We sin through omission. We don’t do things we’re supposed to. We’re all sinners.

Some say, “Christianity is too easy. All you need to do is just tell God you’re a sinner, and tell Jesus you’re sorry.” You know what? It’s not easy. It’s hard, because it requires humility. We come to God not with hands full of all that we’ve done. “Here’s my life. Here’s my performance. Here’s my resume. Here are my good deeds and my bad deeds. Please put them on a scale and weigh them.” That’s not how it works. God doesn’t have good and bad people. He has perfect and imperfect. That’s why Jesus says, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” There are only two categories. Perfect—one person is in that category: the Lord Jesus Christ. And imperfect—everybody else. And the key is to acknowledge, “I’m a sinner. I’m in the guilty category. I’m among those who have broken God’s law.”

And here’s the truth, as well, friends. When we sin, it’s not just breaking God’s law; it’s breaking God’s heart. God is not just an impersonal force or a law by which we are judged. The Bible reveals him like a Father who cares. I’ve got five kids. I could tell you right now, if my kids do something that is sinful and harms them, it is a violation of the laws that I have, as their father. It’s also a devastation to the heart that I have as their father. Some of you need to know that your sin is not just breaking rules, but breaking the heart of God.

And this man acknowledges that. He says, “I’m guilty. I deserve it. They’re crucifying me, and I’m not even going to defend myself. But this Jesus, he’s done nothing wrong. He’s without sin. He’s not like us.” That’s right.

So he looks at the Lord Jesus, and you’ve just got to see this moment. Jesus is on the cross, and do you know what Jesus is not thinking about? Himself. He’s thinking about the people who are killing him. “Father, forgive them! Father, they’re going to go to hell for what they’re doing! Let’s forgive them. I’ll die right now, and that can be their forgiveness!”

And he’s having a conversation with a man at his side. “Jesus, forgive me.” Jesus looks at him and says, “Truly, truly, I say to you.” Jesus says, “I tell you the truth.” Do you know that Jesus tells the truth? Don’t question what Jesus says. Don’t look for alternative explanations to what Jesus says. He says more than forty times in John’s gospel alone, “I tell you the truth.” Jesus tells the truth, and he says, “I tell you the truth. Today, just a couple of minutes from now, you will be with me in Paradise.”

What hope there is in this!  A thief, a sinner, who knew that he deserved the consequences for his actions and believed in Jesus was redeemed right then and there for his humility and repentance.  There is nothing that is so bad that it cannot be forgiven, but we have to truly repent and have faith, and then we have the promise from God that we will one day be with Him in Paradise.

Happy Thursday!

Tomorrow's scripture focus:  Luke 23:44-46

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Revelation 11; Obadiah

Wednesday, December 11th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Revelation 9; Amos 5-6

Today's scripture focus is Luke 23:34-39

Luke 23:34-39

English Standard Version (ESV)

34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if h is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

Accompanying John MacArthur sermons:  The King Crucified: The Comedy at Calvary and the Contrast at Calvary 
Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermons:  Jesus' Crucifixion and Death

The Romans, the Jews, the leaders - they're all making a mockery of Jesus as King.  Scorning Him in the most extreme form of blasphemy there could possibly be.  They've rammed a crown of thorns on His head, they've placed a robe over His battered body, they've crucified two criminals to His right and to His left like the two most trusted advisors flanking His throne.  Pilate gets a jab in at the Jews for backing him into a corner by posting Jesus' kingship at the top of the cross.

This is mankind at its worst.  This is sin at its most depraved.  Scorn, mockery, ridicule, abuse, insults - hurled at God in the flesh.  Surely, if there was ever a time for the just and holy wrath of God to be displayed in a blazing act of judgment, this is it!

And it is!

But not on the sinners who deserved it.

Instead, God's wrath was poured out on the One and only person who did not deserve it - Jesus Christ, the very Son of God.

The sinners' mercilessness only makes the contrast of God's mercy even more stark.

"Father, forgive them."

Forgive them!  What a prayer.

MacArthur notes that it is a general prayer...
it is a general prayer for all the world to know that there’s no sin against the Son of God that is so severe it cannot be forgiven if one will repent. That’s the message. If there is forgiveness for these people, there is forgiveness for anyone.

And it's a specific prayer....
on another level, this is a very specific prayer that was immediately answered among the crowd, among the soldiers, among the thieves and even among the priests. The great irony of Calvary is that while all of this scorn was being heaped on Christ, He was bearing the curse of God far worse than anything they could put on Him. You think it’s bad to be cursed by men, He was being cursed by God. But in taking both the curses from men and the curse from God, He provided the very atonement which makes the forgiveness He prayed for possible.

Were they all forgiven?  No.  But the offer of forgiveness was extended to everyone - no matter how great their sin.  And some from every category responded in repentance and belief, as they put their faith in the One who endured the curses of men and the curse of God to provide forgiveness to undeserving sinners such as us.

He prayed for us, too, that day.  We were the reason He prayed, and we were the reason He responded with such extravagant grace.

What a merciful Saviour!


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Luke 23:39-43

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Revelation 10, Amos 7-9

Tuesday, December 10 ~ tammi

Today's Bible In a Year reading: Revelation 8; Amos 3-4
Today's scripture focus passage: Luke 23:26-33 - 

When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.

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.

We meet four groups of people on Jesus' way to Golgotha, according to John MacArthur.  We meet the people who hate Him ~ the "mixed murderers," the Jewish religious leaders, the Romans.  They are the "they's" in the first sentence:  "...they led Him away, they seized a man..."  They are either murderous in their hearts or in their actions.  Or both.

We meet the curious and somewhat indifferent "large crowd of the people" ~ those who've heard of Jesus, but never really listened to Him or been affected by His ministry.  They're following along, but aren't really involved in the unfolding drama; they're basically just spectators who needed something to do that morning and clearly, here was something pretty big going on.

Then we have the paid mourners, who were likely compassionate, sympathetic women, some of whom were likely truly grieving the impending death of a Man they knew to be great.  Undoubtedly, there were men who would have fallen into this camp, too ~ men who recognized His unmatched power and knew He was different from the prophets of old and the religious leaders of the present day.  Their culture would have prevented them from mourning openly, however, but these women were very obviously expressing grief for Jesus' sake.  They knew there was something unique about Him.  They recognized His incredible wisdom, understanding, and His supernatural power.  Some might have believed He would be their new political leader and deliver them from Roman rule.  But they weren't true followers. And Jesus tells them, don't weep for me; weep for yourselves because a day is coming when you will wish you'd never been born.

Interestingly, all three of these categories are on equal ground as far as God is concerned.  The pity of an unbeliever is no better than the hatred of another.  They are both still unbelievers and will be judged accordingly.

But then we meet the committed few.  Here we meet two of them ~ Simon the Jew from North Africa, and the one criminal who was crucified with Christ and asked to be remembered in the next life.  There is one more that we know of for sure: the Roman centurion who acknowledged Jesus' Lordship as He committed His spirit into His Father's hands and breathed His last human breath.  But from this passage, we can't really recognize them as the faithful few, because none of them have become true followers of Christ yet.  We only know from further along in the account or other books of the Bible.  I enjoy how MacArthur follows Simon the Cyrene's story and his miraculous inclusion in the birth of the early Church:

Here’s a stranger plucked out of nowhere to help Jesus carry the cross. We are unfamiliar with him, he’s unfamiliar with Jesus, but believe me, he goes all the way to the cross and nobody having done that and arrived at the cross would leave. And so he experiences the full reality of the crucifixion. And somewhere in the process he follows the story until he embraces the gospel of the Christ whose cross he carried. And his wife becomes a believer and for sure his sons become believers and are known to the church. And one of them, Rufus, becomes an outstanding choice servant of the Lord. And this family becomes critical to the unfolding of the Kingdom so that they actually have a ministry in the life of the Apostle Paul and Simon’s wife is like a mother to him. (You can read or hear all the details and references here as MacArthur traces this path through the New Testament)

Ultimately, this passages forces us to examine which group we belong to, and the two thieves and their crosses on either side of Jesus summarize our choices very succinctly: we are either for Him or we're against Him, regardless of which of the four sub-categories we might fall under.






 




Tomorrow's Bible In a Year reading: Revelation 9; Amos 5-6
Monday's scripture focus passage: Luke 22:63-71

Monday - December 9 - Tiffany

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Revelation 7. Amos 1-2
Today's scripture focus is Luke 23:13-25

 

¹³ Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. ¹⁵ Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶ Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” ^[17] [a]
18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹ (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
²⁰ Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. ²¹ But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
²² For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
²³ But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate decided to grant their demand. ²⁵ He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

 

Talk about caving to peer pressure.  Friday we learned that Biblically, there were two witnesses declaring Jesus innocent, which was enough for God's eyes.  Herod no longer wanted to kill Jesus.  In Matthew 27:19, this same story was told, with an added little blip about Pilate's wife. She warned Pilate not to have "anything to do with this innocent man" because of a dream she had had concerning Jesus.

 

I have always felt that Pilate wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to release Jesus, he wanted to keep Barabbas in prison (a man who actually had incited riots, and had even murdered), he wanted the crowd to be happy.

And in the end, the crowd's cries for Jesus's crucifixion, were louder than Pilate's wife's warning, louder than his belief that Jesus was innocent.  And so Jesus was crucified.

 

Thankfully, we can learn from Pilate.  It is never easy to do the right thing. It is never easy to go against the crowd. 

 

And yet at the same time, would we really have wanted Pilate to do the right thing?  Because this was God's plan.  Jesus had always planned to come to save the world.

 

And during the Christmas season, while we celebrate His birth, I'm reminded again and again of just how blessed we are that he came at all.

 

 

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Luke 23:26-33

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Revelation 8, Amos 3-4

Friday, December 6th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Revelation 6; Hosea 11-12.

Today's scripture focus is Luke 23:7-12.

Luke 23:7-12

English Standard Version (ESV)

7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: Jesus' Silence Before Herod

We're in the middle of Jesus' trial and nobody wants to actually dirty their hands by rendering a death sentence on Jesus.  The Jews hand Him over to Pilate, but he wants nothing to do with this charade.  He realizes that Herod happens to be in town due to the Passover, and since Jesus is a Galilean, He falls under Herod's jurisdiction, so Pilate passes Jesus along to Herod, hoping to wash his hands of the whole matter.

Herod Antipas, one of the four sons of Herod the Great, ruled Galilee and Peraea.  This was the Herod that had an affair with his half-brother's wife (Herod Philip's wife Herodias), who was also his niece.  This was both an adulterous and incestuous relationship, and John the Baptist called Herod out on his sin, at the cost of his life.

When Herod first heard about Jesus he was afraid that he was John the Baptist brought back to life again - that's what guilt will do to you (Luke 9).

In Luke 13 the Pharisees tell Jesus to get away from the area because Herod was intent on murdering him.

This is the third mention of Herod and Jesus.  We already know that Herod feared Jesus and that he wanted Him dead - now he's got Him in his power.  So, what's he going to do?

His original fear seems to have dwindled to mere curiosity.  He wants Jesus to do a sign.  He's heard about the miracles of Jesus and he'd like to see one for himself.  So he questions Jesus.

And Jesus says nothing.  Absolutely nothing.

Keep in mind what Jesus looked like at this point.  They've beaten and abused Him from 3 - 5 in the morning.  He's exhausted, He's got spit and blood matting His hair, His face and body is bruised and bleeding from the blows.  He's bound.  Powerless.  This is the man that's supposed to be a revolutionary?  The chief priests and scribes have screamed accusations at Him, but Herod's seen no proof, evidence, or testimony of any criminal act on the part of Jesus.  He's not a threat, He's not an insurrectionist, He's a nobody. THIS is the Jesus I heard about, that I was afraid of?  He's a joke!  He's not a threat to Rome, to Herod, to anybody!

So, along with his soldiers, Herod treats Him with contempt, even putting one of his own robes on Jesus as a mockery of the idea that He is a King.  Then he sent Him back to Pilate. Herod's verdict?  Not guilty.

MacArthur:
And then this very strange verse 12.  “Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day, for before they had been at enmity with each other.”  A friendship built around the mistreatment of Jesus...a friendship built around a common hatred for the intimidating Jews that they had to acquiesce to.  What a sordid friendship.  Perfect friendship for sordid characters...

 why does the Bible even bother with telling us about Herod here?  Why did this even play into the story?....

From Pilate’s viewpoint, he wanted confirmation and he got it.  From Christ’s viewpoint, it confirms His innocence.  It confirms Pilate’s verdict.  It confirms Christ’s innocence.  Because the guilt and innocence of anyone is to be confirmed in the mouth of two witnesses, Deuteronomy 19:15.  Here’s the two witnesses, Pilate, “Not guilty.”  Herod, “Not guilty.”  Two witnesses.  From God’s viewpoint, it confirms the Scripture.

Psalm 2 prophesies that The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed
Acts 4:27 confirms that Herod and Pilate were the fulfillment of this prophesy.... for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate.

Why did this part of the story play out?
From Pilate’s view, going to Herod confirmed the verdict.  From Christ’s view, going to Herod confirmed His innocence in the mouth of two witnesses.  From God’s view, being sent to Herod confirms the prophecy of Scripture.  It wasn’t incidental. 

Here's the tragedy of it all though....
Face-to-face with the Son of God, face-to-face with the Creator of the universe, face-to-face with the Savior and Redeemer of sinners...Face-to-face with Christ, never asked the right question, never received the gift of forgiveness and eternal life which Christ provides.....what a waste.



Monday's scripture focus:  Luke 23:13-25

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Hosea 13-14
Sunday's passage: Joel 1-3
Monday's passage: Revelation 7, Amos 1-2

Thursday, December 5 ~ Miriam

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Revelation 5; Hosea 9-10.

Today's scripture focus is Luke 23:1-7.

23 Then the whole body of them got up and brought Him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” 3 So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place.”

6 When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.

Basically, Pilate knew that the religious leaders had no basis for their claims against Jesus, and he didn't want to be the one to do their dirty work for them.  In fact, if Jesus had talked of not paying taxes and overthrowing the Romans, or being a threat to Caesar as these men claimed, then the Jewish people, religious leaders and general population alike, should have been backing him and supporting him in an effort to get out from under Roman rule.  So Pilate had no illusions that there were legitimate reasons for him to judge Jesus other than the fact that the Jewish religious leaders wanted him dead and they couldn't pronounce that sentence themselves.  Pilate decides he's not going to be the trigger man, so to speak, so when he hears that Jesus is from Galilee, he decides to give that "honour" to Herod.  Let someone else deal with this mess.  He doesn't want to be the one held accountable for condemning someone on false charges.

I found these two paragraphs from MacArthur's sermon, Jesus Accused before Pilate, Part 2, particularly to-the-point:

The strange irony of the trials of Jesus is that all those who thought they were judging Him were, in fact, being judged by Him. And it was not just Annas and Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin and Pilate and Herod and Judas, it was the whole nation of Israel. For whether they overtly rejected Jesus as Messiah, or remained in indifference toward Him, anything short of believing in Him as the Son of God and Messiah brought them under His judgment. Sinners still live with the illusion that they can make a judgment on Jesus Christ and avoid Him making a judgment on them. But that’s not the case. You judge Jesus wrongly, and He will judge you rightly.

So while no earthly authority can determine the destiny of Jesus, every soul’s destiny is determined by what that person does with Jesus. The question is not what will you do with Jesus? The question is when you see Him face-to-face, what will He do with you? He is the one person in all history who is the eternal determiner of everyone’s destiny, whether it’s heaven or hell.

Happy Thursday!

Tomorrow's scripture focus:  Luke 23:7-12.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Revelation 6; Hosea 11-12.

Wednesday, December 4th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Revelation 3; Hosea 5-6

Today's scripture focus is Luke 22:63-71

Luke 22:63-71

English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Is Mocked

63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

Jesus Before the Council

66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermon: Jesus, the Son of God
Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: The Sinless Saviour Before the Sinister Sanhedrin Part 1 and Part 2

The scene described for us in the first 3 verses of our passage is horrific.

Jesus.  Blindfolded.  Beaten.  Mocked.   Blasphemed.

Can you even imagine that?  Close your eyes and imagine a vicious mob encircling you, helpless to defend yourself against blows that will come from any direction, as they laugh and insult you - mercilessly.  For hours.  This possibly lasted all night long.

To Jesus.

It's horrific.

Then, when day came, when the night of torture had ended, when Jesus was exhausted, beaten, dehydrated, they are ready for His "trial".

Two groups of religious men - who basically are now subscribing to the theory that the enemy of your enemy is your friend - are conspiring against Jesus in order to kill Him.  They need to get Him to admit once again, as He had previously proclaimed over and over again in His ministry, that He is God - this would be all the confirmation they would need that He was blaspheming and should be put to death for religious reasons.  And for Him to admit that He was God would also be Him admitting to be above Caesar, which would prove that He should be put to death for political treason.

And so they demand - Are you the Christ?

He answers - Yes.  I've told you that I am repeatedly, but your hearts are not receptive to me.  So, if I tell you again, you still will not believe me.

He answers - Yes. I am the Son of Man.  Just as Daniel prophesied (Daniel 7:13-14).

He answers - Yes.  You're echoing back to me what I've been saying to you all along.  Yes, I am the Son of God, the Son of Man.

Emphatically, yes.

If He was not God, this was the time to recant.  If He was just a man - he had no earthly reason to lie and everything earthly reason to tell the truth.  Because if He was just a man and He admitted that He was just a man, He would be set free.

But He was/is God.  And even though the truth would cost Him His life - He spoke the truth.  Yes.  I am.

The Ancient of Days devised a plan to send the Son of Man into humanity.  He came humbly, resisting all temptation, enduring every possible opposition.  He was willing to be blindfolded, beaten, mocked, and blasphemed by the very people He created, the very people He came to save.  He showed us how good He is, and how bad we are. He stood before that mock trial and boldly declared the truth - He is the Christ, He is the Son of Man, He is the Son of God.  And He died without ever recanting that claim.  And then He proved it by rising again, defeating death, conquering sin.  And now - if we let Him - He gives us new hearts, He renews our minds, He gives us an eternal future with Him.

Thank you, Jesus!


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Luke 23:1-7

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Revelation 4, Hosea 7-8

Tuesday, December 3 ~ tammi

Today's Bible In a Year reading: Revelation 2; Hosea 3-4
Today's scripture focus passage: Luke 22:54-62 - Jesus' Arrest

Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

How crushing must Jesus' gaze have been at that moment!  I cannot imagine the weight of guilt on Peter's shoulders.

I have always felt that Peter's betrayal hurt Jesus so much more than Judas' ever did.  Somehow, it's just on a whole different level.  But I think this is why Peter's story give us such hope and encouragement.  That he could mess up on such a grand scale, yet be completely forgiven and have Jesus essentially name him the cornerstone for the future Church, is absolutely mind-blowing!  MacArthur offers us this hope while looking back and tracing Peter's steps down the path towards spiritual overconfidence:

Peter’s footprints are left in the sand for us. Self-confidence, warm feelings of affections toward Jesus, Peter thought were enough for him to be able to handle any temptation. It was his self-confidence that led to his insubordination. He refused to accept and yield to the warning words of Christ. He didn’t take the word of His Lord seriously. He rejected reproof. He ignored the voice of God and that led to prayerlessness. He slept because he didn’t need to pray. He omitted spiritual duty and that led to independence. He reacted by taking out a sword and charting his own course without ever considering the Word of the Lord and that led to compromise. He wound up far off, sitting with the enemies of the Lord. A compromising course that led him to mingle with the enemy and brought him all the way down to defeat.

Sure, this was the darkest hour in human history. This was hell’s hour. This was Satan’s hour. And Peter fell victim to it. He was no match. He underestimated the power of evil in his own flesh. He had reached the top. He had been called by Christ, loved by Christ, received the keys to the Kingdom, sharing in miracle power, leader of the Twelve, privileged preacher of the Good News, fallen to the pit of falsehood and profanity, denying his Lord.

And we really shudder at this. It’s just an unbelievable thing. And we wouldn't be surprised if Peter was another Judas and went out and hanged himself. But this is no Judas and his faith will not fail. The true Peter is seen not in his fall but in his recovery, for this is not a story of final failure, like Judas. This is a story of restoration. It was his love for Christ that broke his heart. It was his love for Christ that made him weep bitterly. It was his love for Christ that made him contrite, penitent, broken. The coward is conquered by love for Christ. And so that’s not the end of the story, that’s the end of Luke’s record in verse 62, but that is not the end of the story. The way down is not the end of the story.

Satan would want to bring a soul to the point of despair so that he plunges himself into hell as Judas did without repentance. But our Lord seeks to bring a soul to the point of despair so that he cries for forgiveness and mercy and by repentance, finds heaven. This is true repentance.

It’s not really our sins that makes us weep. Oh, they have a part in it. But for Peter it wasn’t just his sin that made him weep, it is when we see the kind of Savior we have sinned against that really makes us weep. (emphasis added)

We know this isn't the end of this particular story.  If we only had the first three Gospels, we'd never know that, but thankfully, the Holy Spirit prompted John to include its conclusion: Peter's restoration and re-commissioning by Jesus after the resurrection.  And look at Peter's own last recorded words in the Bible:

“Be on your guard lest being carried away by the error of unprincipled men you fall from your own steadfastness.”

Peter had learned the lesson.  He knew firsthand we have a faith that cannot fail, but he knew our steadfastness still can ~ and so often does ~ and so he warns us to be on our guard.  Don't sleep when you should be praying.  Don't be spiritually overconfident.  None of us is immune to weakness.

But praise God, thanks to Peter's story ~ the one he'd probably rather not have had recorded for all time in the Scriptures ~ we have FULL assurance of grace, forgiveness, and complete restoration when we repent.





 


Tomorrow's Bible In a Year reading: Revelation 3; Hosea 5-6
Monday's scripture focus passage: Luke 22:63-71

Monday, December 2- by Pamela

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Revelation 2, Hosea 1-2

Today's scripture focus is Luke 22:47-53

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, ⁴⁸ but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” ⁴⁹ And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” ⁵⁰ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹ But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. ⁵² Then Jesus said to the chief priests andofficers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? ⁵³ When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

Judas. Betrayer. Every time I read this passage, and actually think about Judas, I can't help but think about this man who walked so close the Jesus. He heard the stories, he saw the miracles, he spent enormous amounts of time with Jesus and yet still betrayed him. It reminds me of Romans 3:23 "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All. Not some. All. It doesn't matter if you walked with Jesus....you fall short. It doesn't matter if are a dedicated youth worker...you might be tempted and fall short. It doesn't matter if you are a Christian singer and have sold many worship albums....you may turn away from God and fall short. There is no one who is immune to sin and it's captive-ness over our lives. Greed. Lust. Self-reliance....and many more harmful things can lead us astray. Judas falls victim to these things.

MacArthur describes Judas:

But the notable leader of the multitude, the one preceding them is the one called Judas who is identified as one of the Twelve...one of the Twelve. The writers of Scripture are very restrained in how they write about Judas. Of all the things that could be said about him, that seems about the most benign. But they are very restrained. As ugly as he is, as repulsive as he is, they restrain from virulent epithets to describe him. There are just not a lot of ugly adjectives piled in front of his name, or descriptive phrases that would somehow vent the animosity that should justifiably be rendered against him. He always is referred to as “one of the Twelve...as one of the Twelve.” It was only Jesus who said of him that he is a devil. He is one of the Twelve. But saying he’s one of the Twelve says all you need to say. Everything else is self-evident. One of the Twelve, which means he was with Jesus for the three years that all the rest were there. He was with Him day and night for that period of time, heard everything He said, saw everything He did. He had the same privilege, the same honor, the same inestimable opportunity to walk with the living incarnate Son of God. To say he’s one of the Twelve is all you need to say. He was not an outsider, he was an insider. But there’s a certain sadness in that definition of Judas as one of the Twelve. There’s a restraint there because he’s to the godly a tragedy. He is not one upon whom it is necessary to heap all kinds of scorn. There’s no vengeance in the heart of believers. There’s no vengeance in the heart of those who were familiar with Judas, there’s only sadness and remorse and sorrow.

Not only does Judas betray the man he has spent the last few years with, but he does it in the most significant way....and Jesus already knew. MacArthur explains:

A signal is necessary...a signal is necessary. Sure there’s a full moon, but they’re in an olive grove. It’s dark. It’s dense. He’s surrounded by eleven men. There has to be a signal that identifies Jesus, you can’t get it wrong. Judas is concerned that there might be an effort for someone to step up and claim to be Jesus in the dark who is not Jesus while they hustle Jesus away to protect Him from the arrest. You can’t get the wrong one. Judas wants his money. I don’t want there to be any mistake. I don’t want to point because you might not know who I am pointing to. I don’t want to just touch somebody because you might not see that.
So what I’m going to do is kiss Him. By the way, this indicates that Jesus had no special physical features to set Him apart, no halo. There was to be no risk. Judas wanted the right one arrested and taken because only then would he get paid. And it’s an unbelievable act of betrayal that Judas chooses. He is a very adept hypocrite...very adept. He is so good at undercover operation that he has been a part of a group of twelve people with Jesus for nearly three years day and night and has not been discovered as a fraud. In fact, he’s been chosen to take care of the money because he was so trusted. He can play the hypocritical game to the hilt, day and night, voluntary responses and involuntary responses. Knee-jerk reactions, saying whatever comes out of your mouth, etc., etc. He has never revealed the truth of his heart. In fact, he is so convinced that everybody thinks so highly of him and thinks that he is genuine that they will not think anything of him kissing Jesus.

Plus, the kind of kiss we’re talking about here is an embrace. It will make it crystal-clear who Jesus is because he’s going to hold on to Him until the Romans can get Him tied up. Inferiors kissed the back of the hand. Or if you’re above a slave, you kiss the palm of a hand in the ancient world. Slaves kissed the foot. Kissing the hem of the garment expresses great reverence. But a kiss on the face, a kiss on the cheek, a full embrace is a sign of close, intimacy and warm affection between equals. It is the mark, not of gratitude, it is the mark not of homage, it is the mark of selfless love and affection. And so the kiss is the most ugly act of treachery and that’s what Judas says I will do. Proverbs 27:6 says, “The kisses of an enemy are deceitful...deceitful.”

So Judas comes to betray the Son of God with a kiss. He approached Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” How did He know that? How did Jesus know that? Because Jesus knew everything. He hadn’t kissed Him yet. He knew his heart, He knew his plans, He knew every detail.

Jesus already knew. He knows the past, He knows the future, He knows the present. He already knows. Recently, a friend read the words of this song and I think it illustrates this so well in the lyrics that say:

When I'm lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory
Cause You're already there
You're already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You're already there
You're already there

Jesus knows. He knew what was about to happen. He knew what had to happen to fulfil God's rescue plan. He knew His role, the disciples role, and even Judas' role to make that happen.

MacArthur  concludes with this prayer:

Father, we thank you again for the vision that that event that’s given to us on the pages of holy Scripture, stunning and riveting reality to be there. So much more could be said. Help us again to see the triumphant Savior who always triumphs over trouble wherever the trouble comes from, even in these hours when it’s trouble upon trouble upon trouble, whether it comes from the disciples, or the Romans, or the Jews, or the devil, He is majestic. He stands towers triumphantly over it all and goes unhesitatingly to the cross to be the Father’s sacrificial lamb to pay for the sins of those who will and have believed. May we stand with the disciples not indifferent like the Romans, not resentful like the Jews, not false and hypocritical like Judas, but may we stand with those disciples, sure weak and struggling, but loving and being restored as they were all restored and served faithfully until they gave their own lives as martyrs for the Savior. May we be among the faithful, we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

As we prepare for Christmas, may it be clear in our mind that we needed a Saviour. A rescuer that would save us from our own sinful nature. He's already there and waiting for us.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Luke 22:54-62

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Revelation 3, Hosea 3-4