“But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer” (Matthew 27:12 ESV)

February 11, 2016

Fulfilling the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus was silent before his accusers: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isa.53:7). Every time I read the story of Christ’s trial and crucifixion, my mind screams against the injustice. I hear myself saying, “Speak up Lord. Don’t let them falsely accuse you.” But then I remember. He did this for me. He stood before a human judge and was condemned to death. Jesus, the Son of God, went silently “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter” for me.
The One who spoke the universe into existence was silent. He was condemned in our place, so that there is now “no condemnation” for those who are in Him (Rom.8:1).

“And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end” (Matthew 26:58 ESV)

February 10, 2016

When Jesus was arrested, Peter tried to blend in as one of the crowd, following Jesus from a distance. This, after following so close must’ve been unbearable. Following Jesus at church is one thing, but following Him in the public square is another. Do you try to blend in with the crowd? Are you trying to follow Jesus from a distance? When will you go public with your devotion?

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30 ESV)

February 9, 2016

The night Jesus was betrayed to be crucified, He joined His disciples in singing a hymn before going up to the Mount of Olives to pray and await His betrayer. What hymn did they sing? The traditional hymn that the Jews would have sung for Passover were the “Hallel” (“praise”) psalms found in Psalms 113-118. As the Rabbi, Jesus would have led the hymn, no doubt from memory, “Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! (Psa. 113:1)… When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language (Psa. 114:1)… The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul! (Psa. 116:3-4)… Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psa. 118:5-6)… Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psa.118:29). I wonder, did His voice break with emotion as He sang? Did the disciples feel the heaviness of the Spirit blanket the upper room during their singing? Did the heavenly choir of angels grow silent to hear their Lord’s voice? Listen all creation! The Lord Jesus is singing on the night of His betrayal!

“Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (Matthew 26:13 ESV)

February 8, 2016

What Jesus said is true. Wherever the gospel is preached the story of a woman’s extravagant generosity towards Jesus is told. A woman in Bethany came up to him with “an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and poured it on his head” (Matt.26:7) causing those in attendance to accuse her of waste. Yet, Jesus accepted her gift, rebuking her critics and declaring her offering a “beautiful thing.” The parallel reading for this story found in Mark 14:3-9, informs us that the ointment was worth nearly a year’s wages (300 denarii or 300 days wages). And this unnamed woman poured the whole thing out upon Jesus. What crazy love is this? What extravagant generosity? It is the only right response for those who have recognized and received Christ’s crazy, extravagant generosity towards us.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom” (Matthew 25:1 ESV)

February 7, 2016

It appears that the parable of the ten virgins was given by Jesus to his disciples in a private setting, as a further illustration of what the Day of his return would be like. As such, this parable seems particularly aimed at the state of the church at Christ’s return. The ten virgins had many things in common. They were all invited to the wedding. They obviously kept company together. They all had lamps. Yet, only five of them had oil for their lamps. And only those five were welcomed into the marriage feast, while the five without oil were not. The clear implication is that many will claim to be followers of Christ without having actually received the “oil” of His salvation. This “oil” cannot be shared from another, it must be received directly from the Lord. Thinking to wait for the Day of his return is a deadly procrastination, for it will be too late. The Day of Christ’s return will reveal that many who claim to be believers, are not. Get your “oil” from the Lord now. Be ready.

“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34 ESV)

February 6, 2016

Many have pointed to this verse to say that Jesus got it wrong. Even C.S. Lewis, the normally staunch defender of the faith, despaired over this verse. Yet, I lean on the verse before it and the one after it to help with my understanding.
First, the verse after it (Matt. 24:35) says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Jesus doesn’t seem uncertain here. In fact, he seems very certain. He says we can trust His Word more than we can trust the universe’s existence. So, I’m sure Jesus didn’t get it wrong. We might understand it wrongly, but He didn’t get it wrong.
Second, the verse before it (Matt. 24:33) says, “When you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” Jesus said that those who would see “all these things” would be the “generation” that would live to see His coming. Jesus was not speaking of the first century generation in his hearing, but of the one that would be alive when “all these things” come to pass.
Now, certainly some of the things, like the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, did happen during the generation that heard Christ’s words. So, one might say that “this generation” referred to two fulfillments. The first being a foreshadowing sign and the second, yet to come.
However we work this out (we could all be wrong in our interpretations), we must never despair that Jesus got it wrong. Jesus always gets it right!

“But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Exodus 21:23-25 ESV)

February 5, 2016

God gave Moses very specific laws to set His chosen people apart from the other nations of the world. At first glance, this “eye for eye” law may look barbaric to the modern reader. Yet, it actually limited the level of retaliation that the offended party could take, and it laid the foundation for modern law. “An eye for an eye” is sometimes referred to as the principle of appropriate retaliation or as in the Latin, “lex talionis” (“law of retaliation”). This meant that the victim could not demand more than the value of the injury in compensation; therefore, preventing the escalation of revenge, as was the pattern of the tribes before the law. The law does not eliminate the sin of humanity, but it does act as a guard rail, limiting its excess, and pointing to our need for rescue from a Savior.

“And God spoke all these words, saying,” (Exodus 20:1 ESV)

February 4, 2016

Before God wrote the ten commandments down onto two stone tablets, He actually spoke them aloud from Mount Sinai before all the Israelites. The Scripture actually refers to them as “words” (Hebrew: הַדְּבָרִ֥ים ha-Dabarim “the words”). The Jews therefore refer to them as the Ten Words or Ten Sayings (Hebrew: עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִֽים Aseret ha-Dabarim). These ten words are beautifully organized into two tablets, the first tablet of words being about how we should love and relate to the Lord God and the second tablet of words are about how we should love and treat our fellow man. This is why Jesus could summarize all the commands with “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” There are around 613 commandments given to the Israelites by God. Yet, all of them are found within the “ten words,” that appear like chapter headings in a table of contents in the beginning of a book. For instance, all the commandments concerning feasts and holidays, might be considered under the “Keep the Sabbath” heading. And all the laws concerning human sexuality might be implied under the “You shall not commit adultery” word. The wisdom and righteousness of God is revealed in these ten words. But the only way to satisfy them is to have them written on our hearts by believing in the Christ and receiving His righteousness in exchange for our sin.

“But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword” (Exodus 17:12-13 ESV)

February 3, 2016

As long as Moses held his arms up, the Israelite army was winning, but when he tired and began to lower his arms, the battle went against them. This is the spiritual influence that God invests in a key leader, yet they remain human, subject to fatigue and discouragement like everyone else. Many churches today replace their tired leaders with fresh ones, thinking that will turn the battle their way. It usually doesn’t. The new leaders eventually wear out too. Aaron and Hur thought of a better solution. Why not help hold up their leader Moses’ arms? Why not give him some help without trying to steal his leadership? Humbly moving to help their leader turned the tide. There are at least a couple of leadership lessons here: 1) Leaders need to be humble enough to ask/allow others to help hold up their leadership arms. 2) Followers need to support their leaders through times of difficulty because when their leader succeeds, so do they.

‘But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”‘ (Matthew 22:29 ESV)

February 2, 2016

Jesus rebuked the Sadducees for their lack of knowledge of God’s Word and power. The Sadducees were a Jewish religious sect that was primarily interested in political power. They affirmed only the five books of Moses, rejected the prophets, the writings and the resurrection. Christ’s correction of the Sadducees is an apt warning for today. For we are a generation of biblically illiterate and spiritually impotent people. Repent. Study God’s Word. Be filled with the Spirit.