Tuesday, September 25th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Ezra 7-10

Today's scripture focus is Matthew 27:1-14

Judas Hangs Himself

27 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. ² They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Jesus Before Pilate

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.

¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” ¹⁴ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

Once again we see the incredibly injustice of this kangaroo court.  The law was that the Sanhedrin had to stay in session between the time of judgment and the time of execution, so that if any new evidence was brought forward they could immediately reconvene the trial, in order to prevent executing an innocent man.

The betrayer, the false witness, coming back and saying he was wrong, the man is innocent, would be enough for them to reconvene. But no, they didn't care that Judas recanted, they didn't care whether or not Jesus was innocent - they knew He was innocent and they didn't care.

Judas recanted, but not because he was remorseful to the point of repentance.  He was sorry, he felt guilt, he knew it was wrong, possibly he even would've done it differently if he could do it over again, but he was not truly repentant.  If he was truly repentant he would've gone to Jesus and repented.  Instead, out of guilt and likely penitence (punishing himself) he killed himself.  But death was not the answer to his pain - in fact death was the continuation of even greater pain, forever.  How different than Peter's true repentance!

And this is one of the greatest assurances that Jesus was perfect as the Scriptures claimed.  In Judas' guilt, he would've tried everything he could to rationalize or justify his decision to betray Jesus, and if he could've thought of any sin that Jesus had committed he would've grasped on to that for all he was worth.  But he couldn't come up with a single thing.  Jesus was perfect.  He was innocent.

Before killing himself, Judas threw the money into the temple - and according to MacArthur, the word for temple wasn't the word for just the regular part of the temple that anyone could go in, but the part of the temple accessible only by the priests.  They may have refused Judas, but he forced them to have to deal with the blood money.  And they knew it was blood money - they even admitted it!  Their twisted thinking is just incredible - they don't carry about the law, they pay off false witnesses, they refuse to listen to the false witness when he recanted, they took the blood money out of the temple treasury, but now that Judas returns it, they know they can only use it to purchase a nearly worthless piece of land and use it to bury Gentiles.

Not only did Judas know Jesus was innocent, not only did the religious leaders know Jesus was innocent, but all the people knew it too.  And that's why they called that field the Field of Blood - because it was bought with blood money that was used to execute the only innocent man who ever lived.

Zechariah 11:23-13

¹² I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.

¹³ And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.

This is the prophecy v9 speaks of.
There's some confusion because v9 says it was in Jeremiah, but we find it in Zechariah.  The explanation is simple.  The OT was divided into 3 sections - the Law (books by Moses), the Psalms (including all the poetic writings) and the Prophets.  They were also known by their headings.  The poetic writings were known as the Psalms because the Psalms were the first on the scroll.  The Prophets were known as Jeremiah because it was the first on the scroll.  So, when they say it was a prophecy by Jeremiah, it's just another way of saying it was from the prophets as a whole - and in this case, it was specifically Zechariah.  Anyway, just found that interesting.

And here, the Holy Spirit rewords the prophecy, explaining it in order to make it clear, and obviously the Holy Spirit has every right to do that.  So, once again, prophecy was fulfilled.

Even in these darkest days, Matthew presents Christ as King.  MacArthur...
Isn't it marvelous again? Here Jesus appears to be humiliated but the truth is He is exalted, He is exalted by the inability of the counsel to find any accusation against Him. He is exalted by the testimony of the chief witness and bribed traitor as to His innocence. He is exalted by the testimony of the Sanhedrin themselves that they have blood money in their hands. He is exalted by the testimony of the populace of Jerusalem who call everything related to this incident blood, a field of blood. And He is exalted by the very fact that all of this fulfills the prophecy of the Old Testament. And so, out of the ugliness of the scene comes the beauty of Jesus Christ. And He stands majestic and that is the writer's intention. 


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Matthew 27:15-44

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Nehemiah 1-5

Monday, September 24th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Esther 6-10

Today's scripture focus is Matthew 26:47-75

Jesus Arrested

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

⁵⁰ Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.”

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

⁵⁵ At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Before the Sanhedrin

⁵⁷ Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. ⁵⁸ But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

⁵⁹ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. ⁶⁰ But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally two came forward ⁶¹ and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

⁶² Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”⁶³ But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴ “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him ⁶⁸ and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?”

Peter Disowns Jesus

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

⁷¹ Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷² He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away.”

⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

We cover a lot of ground in today's passage!

First Jesus' arrest which occurs immediately after His battle with temptation - over which He is victorious as always.

We see the betrayal by Judas.  When you think of it, this must be one of the most painful moments of the entire crucifixion.  It's one thing when your enemies mock you and hurt you.  But to be betrayed by one of your closest friends, someone you've discipled day and night for 3 years, must have been absolutely heart wrenching.

We also see the desertion of all the remaining disciples - a direct result of what we talked about in yesterday's passage as they were overcome by temptation they had not prepared for.

Throughout the arrest, we see 3 forces at work - the forces of evil, the hatred of evil men and the plan of God.

Until this point, Satan was trying to prevent Jesus from going to the cross to perform His redemptive work.  But now that Satan realizes it's inevitable, he changes course and now tries to make it as brutal as he can.  I'm sure he enjoyed heaping abuse, mockery and pain on the God he wanted to overthrow. This was the hour for evil to reign, and I'm sure it was done with relish.

There was also the hatred of evil men.  Judas, who betrayed Jesus so personally.  The religious leaders who long ago had begun to conspire against Jesus and figure out a way to eliminate Him somehow, despite His popularity with the people.  That's why the betrayal occurred at night, in private.

And yet, despite all the evil involved, amazingly this was all a part of God's holy redemptive plan.  An excellent point from MacArthur....
what we're seeing here is the coming together of the plotting of hell, the coming together of the plan of God and the coming into that picture of the hatred of evil Christ-rejecting people of that time. And I want you to understand this, because it is the plan of God, in no way lessens the evil of hell's conspiracy and because it is the plan of God, in no way lessens the evil of the men who carried it off on earth. Their evil guilt is not mitigated at all. It is the plan of God but it is their will to do it. They have chosen to the compatriots of hell by their own volition. And so there's no elimination of guilt because this is God's plan, it is that God overrules their chosen evil to do His good work.

What's amazing is how blind these men are.  From the other gospel accounts we know that when the crowd (of up to 1000!) came to arrest Jesus they all fell to the ground simply by the power of His presence.  And when Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus (names not mentioned until John's much later writing - likely to protect Peter), Jesus creates a new one in it's place.  And somehow, this does not give them pause to reconsider at all.  Not at all.  They are so consumed with evil that they are completely blind and unmoved by the power of Jesus.

Moving on to the trial by the Sanhedrin we see how low they had sunk because they broke every legal safeguard they had.

the supreme court of Israel was built on the premise that everyone in a trial is entitled to three things. One is a public trial, two is an opportunity for defense, and three, no conviction without the conformation of at least two or three witnesses. So the Sanhedrin guaranteed public trial, the right of defense and two or three witnesses before any conviction.

We also said that it was built into their laws that any false witness would pay the same penalty he sought for the one he witnessed against. That they could not prosecute, they could only try, so they couldn't be a kangaroo court. They built into their safeguard system also that no court could convene at night or in any other place than the Judgment Hall itself. That no courts could convene even in the late afternoon, lest justice be hurried up to get over before the day was ended...that no one could be executed the same day in which he was tried...that no trial for execution could be held on a feast day, or the day before a feast day, that there always had to be a day intervening, that all the votes had to be carefully counted, that no one could incriminate himself by giving testimony against himself which testimony could stand alone against him. All those were built-in safeguards. They violated every single one of them...every single one of them.

They, for one things, did not give Jesus a public trial. They held it privately. They did not give Him any defense. They brought no witnesses to speak on His behalf. They could not find two or more witnesses to convict Him of anything. They actually bribed false witnesses, contrary to their own system of punishing false witnesses. They were not allowed to prosecute, they did that. There was no prior prosecution. There was no arraignment. There was no indictment. There was no crime. They met in the middle of the night. They sentenced Him one day, executed Him the same day, and it was a day before a feast day...actually on a feast day. They met outside the Hall of Judgment and never bothered to count the votes. Every way you look at it, they violated their own laws.

A kangaroo court if there ever was one.  They were so consumed by evil that they didn't even care that they were breaking every single law in order to convict and execute Jesus.  And the fact that they condemned Him for blasphemy is the most ironic thing of them all.

And finally, we see Peter's denial of Jesus.  Again, a result of yesterday's passage, with the spotlight on Peter specifically.

MacArthur (this is a bit long, but so powerful!)....

you ask yourself the question: how in the world could Peter ever sink to that depth? I mean, how could anybody ever do that? How can it happen?

Let me remind you very briefly. Here are the path...here are the footprints down the path. One, self-confidence, he felt he could handle anything. He could follow Christ anywhere. His own warm feeling and affection would be enough to make him able to handle any circumstance. It was self-confidence. He thought he could stand. And secondly, it was insubordination, the Lord told him twice and he denied it both times. He defied the Word of the Lord. He would not submit himself. He would not become subordinate to the Word of God. He didn't take the Word of God seriously. He rejected reproof. He ignored the voice of the living God...just like a believer who reads it and then goes out and ignores it. We're not invincible. We cannot defy the Word of God and survive. And the third step was prayerlessness. He slept instead of praying. He slept instead of watching for temptation. Spiritual neglect, he omitted an essential spiritual duty and that generated a downward impulse. Spiritual indifference leads to ruin, lack of prayer leads to disaster.

And then the next footprint in his path to disaster was independence. He acted on his own. He didn't need to seek God's will. He didn't need to ask the Lord what to do. He acted on his own. Therefore he got himself into situations that were disastrous to him. And finally, the fifth step was compromise. He followed Jesus in, he goes right into the lion's den, he sits by the fire, he mingles with the crowd that was the enemy of Christ. He reminds me of Psalm 1:1, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful," remember that? He walked in, he stood around and finally he...what?...sat down. And he sat among the scornful. He took his place in a compromising way. Either he should have been where Christ was, not a far off, or he should have been gone from the temptation that he knew he wasn't able to handle. But to sit in the midst of the temptation and yet far enough from Christ not to be able to count on that resource was to be in the place of compromise.

Spiritual self-confidence, thinking you're invulnerable, insubordination, prayerlessness, independence leads to compromise. If you think you can handle every situation, you're going to get into some situations, believe me, you can't handle. And that's where he was. And that led to defeat. The darkest hour in human history, this was the hour of the power of darkness, hell was running at full tilt, the forces of demons and the enemy were going at all their power and Peter was no match for this in the flesh...no match. And we shudder. And frankly we wouldn't be too shocked if he just went out and hanged himself like Judas, but he didn't.

And may I say something to you that's the key to this whole message? The true Peter is seen not in his denial but in his repentance. Did you get that? The true Peter is seen not in his denial, but in his repentance. We don't ask the question whether Judas was a real believer, because we know how the story ended. He went out and hanged himself. There was no real repentance. Peter went out and wept bitterly and came back to be restored. And therein lies the difference between a Judas and a Peter. Both will sin, but one will be repentant and restored and the other will be damned. And you know what the difference is? Remember Luke 22:32, Jesus said, "Peter, Satan desires to have you but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not." Remember that? You know why Peter's faith didn't totally fail? Because the Lord had what? Prayed for him. Listen, the reason that we stay saved is not because of something we've done but because the Lord holds us. He didn't hold Judas because He never had Judas. But He held Peter. And Peter's faith didn't fail....

It wasn't until he saw the face of Jesus and it wasn't until he remembered the words of Jesus that he repented. His sin didn't make him repent, it was the Savior that made him repent. And here's a very important principle, listen to it. It is not our sins that make us weep, it is not our sins that make us repent, it is when we see what kind of Savior we have sinned against. And so we ever and always need the vision of who He is. The sin alone didn't do anything to Peter. He would have kept it up. But it was when he saw Jesus and he remembered His words, it is the repentance born of a recognition of the kind of Savior we have sinned against. That is why, beloved, the ministry here, the ministry that I'm committed to is not a ministry of just telling you to turn from your sin but a ministry of lifting up our God of glory, of lifting up the Lord Jesus Christ so that in seeing Him you understand the heinousness of sin.

And then the wrenching agony of repentance, things were made right with the Lord he had sinned against. He like Isaiah cried out to God, "I am a man of unclean lips." And he like Isaiah was purged.

And the end of the story is the sinner's restoration. And if we had time we could go to John 21 and in John 21, Peter's in Galilee and the Lord appears after the resurrection. And He comes to restore Peter and He comes to Peter and says, "Simon, son of Jonah...what?...do you love Me?" And He says it to him how many times? Three. And three times Peter says, "I love You, I love You, I love You." Why do you think the Lord gave him three opportunities to say that? Pretty obvious, isn't it? The Lord was bringing him back. For the three times of denial, there were three times of affirming love.

And the Lord accepted Peter's testimony and the Lord restored Peter and He said, "Feed My sheep, feed My lambs, feed My sheep," and He put him back on his feet and back in the ministry and he became the great proclaimer of the gospel in the early church. And I'm telling you, folks, that's a hopeful story, isn't it? God is in the business of giving grace to sinners. God is in the business of restoring the fallen. God is in the business of picking up the person who has even denied Him, who has shown himself to be weak and putting him in a place of strength. I'm glad we have a God of forgiveness, aren't you?

I went back and read 1 and 2 Peter this week because I wanted to see if Peter talked about self-confidence. And he does and says you ought to turn yours in for humility. And I wanted to find out if he talked about insubordination, and he does and calls people to obey the Word. And I wanted to find out if he talked about prayerlessness and he does and he says watch and pray. And I know where he got that. And I wanted to find out if he had anything to say about compromise, and he does. He calls for faithfulness to death and an answer to every man who asks you of the faith that is in you with meekness and fear. He learned all his lessons right here.

And I suppose we could sum up his own testimony of this occasion in his own words. "Ye therefore, beloved," 2 Peter 3:17, "seeing that you know these things before, beware lest you also being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." Peter says, "Beloved, don't you do what I did, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Good word from Peter, isn't it? He ought to know. He was there.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Matthew 27:1-14

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Ezra 7-10

Sunday, September 23rd

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Est 1-5

Today's scripture focus is Matthew 26:31-46

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³¹ Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

³² But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

³³ Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

³⁴ “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

³⁵ But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Our passages lately have all been about preparations for the cross.  We've seen the religious leaders try to plot to capture Jesus.  We've seen Mary anoint his body for burial. We've seen the preparation of Judas setting out to betray Him. We've seen Jesus celebrate the last supper (though the disciples didn't know it at the time) and bring an end to the old Jewish economy as He set out to be the very fulfillment of the Passover.  We saw Him introduce the Lord's Supper.

In our passage today, we see Him preparing His disciples by warning them about what they were going to go through when He was captured and they were scattered.

And then He took the (11) disciples to Gethsemane, His last night with His disciples, and He shows them how to overcome temptation.

In our passage, Jesus was incredibly sorrowful.  I think He was often sorrowful - the thought of man's sinfulness, man's estrangement from God instead of intimate relationship, man's depravity, man's continual rejection of their Redeemer - incredibly sorrowful indeed.  But in His sorrow, He cries out to God.

And He faced incredible temptation here in the garden.  Satan tempted Him to forego the cross thereby preventing the resurrection.  And how did Jesus handle this temptation?  He cried out to God.  He prayed.  And though His humanity wants there to be some other way, He prays for God's will to be done, knowing exactly what that will is.  He cries out to God, and we see in the account of Luke, that an angel came and strengthened Him.  The angel didn't rescue Him from Satan or the cross, but the angel strengthened Him to endure the cross for the glory of God.

Jesus' turmoil was intense.  So intense, in fact, that He sweat drops of blood.  This is something that can happen when a person is under extreme duress, the capillaries just under the skin dilate until they burst and the blood flows out through the sweat glands - sweating drops of blood.  Incredible agony of spirit.

Notice how Jesus' second prayer differs from His first one? First He says - if it can pass, let is pass. And then He says, if it can't pass, I'll do it.  God is strengthening Him to carry out His will.  And that is what got Jesus through the temptation - His ommitment to doing His Father's will.

If Jesus Himself needs to cry out to God in order to resist temptation - how much more do we need to! And persistently!  This was a three round battle!  Persistent prayer, commitment to the Father's will.

The disciples didn't recognize this need.  They gave in to the natural and were indifferent to the supernatural.  Yes, they had had a long week, they'd had a big meal, a long walk, and it was late.  They were understandably sleepy.  BUT, they had also just been told a betrayer was among them, and that they would all desert Jesus.  How could they not have been vigilant in the face of that warning?!  They put too much stock in their own good intentions, they didn't recognize their own weaknesses, and they were indifferent to the power of the enemy that was going to tempt them.  And so instead of being alert and vigilant, fighting off temptation with prayer like Christ - they slept.

Jesus gained the victory over temptation, and He returned, ready to face the enemy head on.

The sequence for disaster is this: self-confidence which leads to sleep (instead of vigilance) which leads to temptation, sin and disaster.  That's the sequence the disciples followed.

The sequence for victory is this: in humility, crying out to God for help, and out of the temptation comes obedience and victory. That's the sequence Jesus modeled for us.

Which sequence will we follow when we encounter temptation in our lives?

Which sequence will we follow even before we encounter the temptation?  Self-confidence lulls us into false security.  Vigilance and humility keep us on guard and dependent on Christ.  The choices we make before the temptation comes play a huge roll in the outcome.  Yes, we can humble ourselves and cry out to God after we are tempted - but we're starting from a point of much greater weakness when we do that.  When we continually acknowledge our weaknesses and rely on God, we are well on our way to victory.


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Matthew 26:47-75

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Esther 6-10

Saturday, September 22 ~Pamela

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Zech 8-14

Today's scripture focus is Matthew 26:17-30

The Last Supper

¹⁷ On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹⁸ He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” ¹⁹ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

²⁰ When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. ²¹ And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

²² They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”

²³ Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.²⁴ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

²⁵ Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”

Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

²⁷ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

³⁰ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

This week, at our school staff meeting, the Kindergarten teacher started off our meeting with a devotional about being brave. She read us this book about "firsts" and as I was reading today's passage I thought about how as a parent we usually remember the "firsts"-first smile, first step, first lost tooth, first big kid bed, first day of school, first sleepover, etc. But the "lasts" often get forgotten-last diaper change, last time they sneak in your bedroom at night after a bad dream, last time they enjoyed an episode of Dora the Explorer, etc. The only time we really remember the "lasts" is when something traumatic happens - such as the last photo of, or time with, a loved one when they have died. When we think of the Last Supper, we think of it because of what happened next. It's traumatic.

However, what is so comforting is that God is the God of firsts and lasts. He already knows the beginning and he already knows the end. Even during this Last Supper, Jesus is fully aware of what is to come. When the disciples question Him, he has all the answers. This commentary explains:

Jesus told the two disciples that as they entered the city, they would meet a certain man. In Mark, Jesus explained that this man would be carrying a jar of water (Mark 14:13). Ordinarily women, not men, would go to the well and bring home the water. So this man would have stood out in the crowd. This may have been a prearranged signal, or Jesus may have supernaturally known that this man (most likely a servant) would be there and would lead them to the right house. This private location kept the plans secret and security tight. Tradition says that this may have been Mark's home (the writer of the Gospel). If this speculation is true, the owner of the house would have been Mark's father and one of Jesus' followers. He knew exactly who the Teacher was and probably knew the disciples by sight. The disciples did as Jesus directed and made preparations for the others.

Not only did Jesus know that his "appointed time [was] near", he knew where they would eat together for the last time. His disciples followed his instructions and it all came to pass just as he had said. Not only did Jesus know where they would dine that night, he also called Judas out as the one who would betray him. (I've posted on this before but I seriously wonder what Judas would have been thinking.) To be betrayed by someone so close must have been a blow to the other disciples as well because it was obvious they trusted him as well. From this commentary:


Apparently Judas was not obvious as the betrayer. After all, he was the one the disciples were trusting to keep the money (John 12:4-6). So each disciple asked Jesus for assurance: Surely not I, Lord? The Greek form of the question would be rendered, "It is not I, is it?" and implied a negative answer. Each disciple hoped to clear himself and wondered if he would have the courage to remain faithful.

Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."NIV Jesus answered that the betrayer was indeed one of the Twelve, and he added that this betrayer was dipping his bread into the bowl with Jesus. At this time, some food would be eaten from a common dish into which everyone would dip his or her hand. Meat or bread would be dipped into a dish filled with sauce often made from fruit. Jesus' words emphasized the treachery of the betrayer. To eat with a friend and then turn around and betray him was treachery at its worst. Jesus alluded to Psalm 41:9, "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" (NIV).

Jesus again demonstrated his knowledge of what would come when he broke the bread and shared the wine with the disciples for the last time. Although they didn't know it would be the last time, Jesus did.

As we go through the "firsts" and the "lasts" in our lives, we can take comfort in knowing that God already knows. He knows it all. How many times in my life have I been struggling with impatience as I wait for things not knowing what the future would hold. I need this reminder that God knows. He was there in the beginning. He will be there at the end. I don't have to worry about the in between.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Matthew 26:31-46

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Est 1-5

Friday, September 21st

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Zechariah 1-7.

Today's scripture focus is Matthew 26:1-16.

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ² “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, ⁴ and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. ⁵ “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

⁶ While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

In chronological order v6-14 happened before v1-5.

Mary understands what's about to happen.  She may not know exactly when, but, unlike the disciples, she was paying attention to what Jesus said about his death and resurrection.  Why shouldn't she have?  Jesus' enemies did.  They tried to prepare for the disciples stealing Jesus' body because He had claimed He would rise on the 3rd day. If they were listening and understood what He had said, why shouldn't she?  The disciples should've too, but perhaps they were too focused on a political Messiah that they just had blinders on when it came to Jesus' death.

And so she anoints Jesus - extravagantly.  Out of overwhelming love, worship and gratitude. And the disciples just didn't get it, not yet.

And Judas?  Well, this was the last straw as far as he was concerned.  At this point he went to the chief priests and struck a deal for his very soul.  And the rest of the week he was looking for a way to betray Jesus.  During everything that's gone on in this last week - during the Triumphal Entry, during the cleansing of the temple, during Jesus' cursing of the Pharisees, during Jesus' sermon on the Second Coming, this whole time evil has festered within his soul.

But everything, everything is happening on God's timetable.  The leaders had wanted to kill Jesus earlier, but God didn't want it to happen then and so it didn't.  The leaders didn't want it to happen during Passover, but that's exactly when God had planned for it to happen, and so it would.

Mary's heart was filled with worship and she was blessed because of her decision to follow Jesus.

Judas' heart was filled with evil and he is the most extreme example of wasted opportunity there is in the Bible.  He had lived in close relationship with Jesus, the very Son of God, for 3 years.  But Jesus didn't fulfill his expectations of a conquering political Messiah and so He rejected Jesus and is still paying the price and will for eternity.

We all have a choice.  We better choose well.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Matthew 26:17-30

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Zech 8-14

Thursday, September 20th ~ Miriam

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Haggai.

Today's scripture focus is Matthew 25:31-46.

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

So here, quite obviously, we have a description of Judgement Day.  Those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb are the sheep.  Those who are not are the goats.  I think as human beings we often focus on the "action" part of this passage.  Clothe the naked.  Feed the hungry.  Care for the sick.  But, as I said last week, some "goats" do those things too.  We've discussed over and over again the fact that we cannot earn righteousness.  We cannot goody-goody our way into heaven.  It is ONLY by the grace of God that we are saved.  So here, when Jesus talks about the "sheep" taking their inheritance and references the good things they have done, the good things he is referring to are the things we've done for others because of the grace and blessing given to us by God.  In other words, the outpouring to others of the love and mercy and blessings already bestowed upon us by Him.  John MacArthur, in The Judgment of the Nations, says:

Who are these people going in?  They're not just people who got involved in social action.  They're not just people who did good deeds on the earth.  These are those chosen from the foundation of the world by sovereign God to receive His grace and be blessed and who responded by faith and became His heirs in the family.  And all of that soteriological richness is compacted in verse 34.  And that can't be missed, that can't be missed.  The good deeds mentioned in 35 and 36 are not the primary emphasis.  The primary emphasis in identifying these people is in verse 34.  The good deeds are the fruit of the redemption defined for us in such simple yet profound terms in verse 34.  And the people who get confused by this passage get confused because they perhaps haven't looked as closely as they ought to look at verse 34.  And looking at verses 35 and 36 alone might provide some difficulty.

The real fact of salvation is in verse 34.  The proof of it is in verse 35 and 36.  They are only outward evidences of an inward sovereign grace.

So, the justice...now listen...the justice, the fairness, the equity of what the King does in bringing these people into His Kingdom, the justice of His act is manifest in the deeds that these people demonstrate.  But it isn't the deeds alone that qualify them.  It's their redemption which issues in those deeds.  So when He says come in on this basis, He is judging them according to their works but only insofar as their works are a manifestation of the redeeming act which God foreordained in their behalf. 

You say, "I never met anybody who was naked so that I could put clothes on them, but if I did I would."  That's the heart attitude.  But maybe you've met somebody with another need, have you met that need?  That's how you examine yourself to see if you're in the faith.  That's the test in the end.  It's similar in Romans 2, isn't it?   Where it says God, in verse 6, will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, honor, immortality, they'll receive eternal life.  You see, He doesn't say the ones who did all the phenomenal things, that had the big meetings and the big miracle workers and so forth and so forth.  He says it's to those who by patient routine well doing.  It's just the goodness of life that flows out daily, the faithful discharge of humble duty in the day‑to‑day things that demonstrates genuine salvation.

I read a story yesterday and posted it to my Facebook page about a transit driver in Winnipeg who gave his shoes to a homeless man because the homeless man didn't have any.  The story doesn't mention whether the bus driver was a Christian or not, but what that story made me think about was whether or not I am watching for opportunities to help others like this man did.  Do I notice the people around me who are barefoot?  Maybe not literally barefoot, but need help with something that I can provide?  How often do I miss opportunities just because I am preoccupied or in a hurry?

Tomorrow's scripture focus:  Matthew 26:1-16.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Zechariah 1-7.