October 1
John
5:1-47
Mark
2:23-28
Matthew
12:1-8
Luke
6:1-5
Mark
3:1-6
Matthew
12:9-14
Luke
6:6-11
Matthew
12:15-21
The
anguish and heartbreak of the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda is difficult to imagine
and yet Jesus tells him to stop sinning or something worse will happen. We know by the rest of the Scriptures that
Jesus is referring to the practice of
sin. Belief without repentance is a
foolish and wholly inadequate intellectual exercise. It is an empty exercise because a response is
not a non-response. [You will have to
think about that one for a minute.] A
response to teachings involves a rejection or an acceptance, and either
response is only known in its manifestation.
In other words, there is no such thing as an invisible response. [Am I getting through?] True commitment validates true belief.
Jesus
makes several references here to His deity.
He makes it clear that He is the Lord of the Sabbath indicating by
strong implication that He is Lord of all.
I
love what He says about the Scriptures (the Old Testament) – that they speak of
Him. He implies if you study the
Scriptures to find eternal life, and don’t find Jesus there, then you have not
found eternal life.
October 2
Mark
3:7-19
Luke
6:12-16
Matthew
5:1-12
Luke
6:17-26
Matthew
5:13-48
Luke
6:27-36
Matthew
6:1-4
So
far, Jesus draws the big crowds mainly because of the miracles, but they are
fascinated with His manner of speaking also.
I
am thankful that Luke writes of prayer as the main method that Jesus uses to
choose His 12 personal students. Luke
writes that He prayed all night. Jesus’
commitment to prayer is shown in other places as well, but I don’t think there
is another place that says He prayed all night.
This must have been something.
The exchange of the Father and Son is inexpressible to even
imagine. And then there is the time He
must have spent praying for them – for their failures – their growth – their
strength – their future – even their ultimate martyrdom.
Jesus
teaches that the intent of the Law, which is the intent of God, is that one’s
attitude be Godly – not just actions.
His words at times seem impossible, but we will later learn how it can
be possible.
October 3
Matthew
6:5-7:6
Luke
6:37-42
Matthew
7:7-20
Luke
6:43-45
Matthew
7:21-29
Luke
6:46-49
Jesus
moves so perfectly into His teaching called the Lord’s Prayer. As I write this I am preparing to minister to
a congregation from this very text. It
would be easy for me to write of just the first 2 words of the Lord’s Prayer to
the neglect of the other points in this selection. But I think instead I will write about these
2 words as the key to the rest of the points.
Our Father. When the relationship contained
in these two words is recognized, all of the other becomes do-able. Because we have His Spirit. And so our attitude about money and
possessions becomes strongly contrasted with the attitudes of the world. When the relationship in these two words is
enjoyed as it should be, there is no worry about tomorrow. No lack of respect for God and others. No lack of diligence in prayer. The fruit in your life seen by others will be
unmistakable. They will see one who has
been with Jesus – one whose house is built on a solid foundation.
October 4
Matthew
8:5-13
Luke
7:1-17
Matthew
11:1-19
Luke
7:18-35
Matthew
11:20-30
Luke
7:36-50
I
wonder what the reaction of the Jews was when Jesus said many Gentiles will
come from all over the world and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the
feast in the
John
the Baptist must have wondered why Jesus had not come and rescued him. He must have felt certain that Jesus was the
Messiah, but then became concerned as he languished in a dungeon.
When
we consider the oracles of woe pronounced on Korazin,
October 5
Luke
8:1-3
Mark
3:2-30
Matthew
12:22-45
Mark
3:31-35
Matthew
12:46-50
Luke
8:19-21
Mark
4:1-9
Matthew
13:1-9
Luke
8:4-8
Mark
4:10-20
This
is one of those readings that seems impossible to
write on a single page. It seems I
should just bow to God and leave the text to work in my heart. From the disciples who were chosen, to the
women who were delivered, to the religious elite who blasphemed the Spirit of
Christ, I am guided on a winding path that leads to that first farmer. From the good tree and bad tree and fruit of
like kind, to the glorious Good Message in the 3-day weekend Jonah spent in the
belly of a big fish. I even pass by a
family this morning that loves Jesus but thinks He’s gone over the deep
end. And now, here I am, at the trail
head where the farmer starts spreading the seed. For this fleeting moment, I am not a 50-year
old man but a 7-year-old boy surrendering to Christ – Satan took the seed so
quickly (but he did not get it all).
Fast forward – an 18-year-old man/child stands helpless as the remaining
seed struggles to find root among the rocks.
A few seeds around me seem to prosper nicely – only to be choked out by
materialism. But God preserves the boy
and retains the young man; and God gives increase in a field just beyond – a
field called Grace.
October 6
Matthew
13:10-23
Luke
8:9-18
Mark
4:21-29
Matthew
13:24-30
Mark
4:30-34
Matthew
13:31-52
Mark
4:35-41
Matthew
8:23-27
Luke
8:22-25
The
lessons on listening are sobering to me because I can be such a poor listener
and such a poor concentrator when reading.
The real problem here is that Jesus says when people do not listen, then even what they currently know is taken away from
them. I understand this because I have
experienced it. No one is static in
knowledge. Nobody sits still in the
knowledge of the Lord. We are either
going forward or backward. Jesus does
not allow “buffet” followers – those who want to pick and choose. We either take the whole of His teachings or
else we shall forfeit those teachings we have
accepted. I think this was what happened
with Judas. He apparently had the
mindset that Jesus would successfully bring His kingdom in by leading a violent
revolution. It seems that Judas accepted
some of the Lord’s teachings, but his rejection of others caused him to lose
what little he had.
Regarding
the storm, I am struck by Jesus’ commitment to rest. He understood the concept of power naps. When we consider the power of the storm that He slept right through, it seems to me
- the Lord wrote the book on power
naps! But the disciples did not pick up
on the Lord’s commitment to rest. I
think they would neglect rest and then collapse, when really needed the most
(like at
October 7
Mark
5:1-20
Matthew
8:28-34
Luke
8:26-39
Mark
5:21-43
Matthew
9:18-26
Luke
8:40-56
Two miracles – a little girl, and an adult male. One has died physically and one spiritually. One consumed by the limitation called
death. One consumed by the limitation
called life. Who knows what caused the
man to “go over the deep end?” In view
of the thriving pork business, it does not appear the Jewish neighborhood was
following the ways of the Lord. This is
proven even more powerfully by their rejection of Jesus. When a community follows a course other than
God’s, the natural result is a “giving over” to evil. While this community had many examples of
this, the demoniac from the caves was the most dramatic example. No question – he was bonkers! And he wasn’t about to let this entourage
pass without a confrontation – without making a spectacle of himself.
And
then there is the 3rd miracle – the “tweener.” This one is about the woman with the
hemorrhage, and it tells us something about faith and something about the
Lord’s power that the other miracles do not.
We must never minimize the importance of active belief. It is truly powerful, but we must never fall
into the trap of thinking the faith is powerful in and of itself. Sure, we must believe, but it is highly
recommendable our faith humbly embraces the will of Him Who
is the source of all power. That is the
only way our faith can make us whole.
October 8
Matthew
9:27-34
Mark
6:1-6
Matthew
13:53-58
Matthew
9:35-38
Mark
6:7-13
Matthew
10:1-42
Luke
9:1-6
The
verse Mark 6:4 is striking to me, because we are so often taught that God will
call the wife or family when He calls the preacher; but Jesus indicates quite
differently here. There may be times
when difficulties, rather than unity, come into the family when the call of God
goes out. Moses endured a separation
that may have even led to divorce and remarriage. We must do all we can to reflect in our
marriage, the relationship of Christ and the Church. We know that through the centuries the Church
has failed in many ways, but Christ has never failed. Christ Himself told us that sometimes the
Good News of Jesus Christ will divide a home.
Jesus
seems to feel overwhelmed by the crowds and their needs. This is just one more way in which He is able
to identify with our limitations, because when He walked this earth, He felt
them too.
October 9
Luke
9:7-9
Mark
6:14-29
Matthew
14:1-21
Mark
6:30-44
Luke
9:10-17
John
6:1-15
Mark
6:45-52
Matthew
14:22-33
John
6:16-21
Mark
6:53-56
Matthew
14:34-36
There
is probably no greater area of the Gospels for the work of harmonizing, than
the 4 accounts of the feeding of the 5000.
The varied perspectives work together perfectly to be a single unified
testimony that Jesus really wants us to get.
One of several references to this is Mark 6:52. This verse says the disciples still did not
get it (understand). Get what? Get the significance! - The significance of
what? - The miracle of the multiplied loaves!
We are told the reason they did not get it is because their hearts were
hard and they did not believe. But what exactly did they not
believe? What exactly is
the “significance?” The context of the
walking on the water, calming the storm, and docking the boat instantly,
indicates (to me) that the “significant” thing that was not yet “believed” was
that –
Jesus commanded nature.
(But that’s still not it.)
He commanded it because He
created it.
(But that’s still not it.)
They did not understand that
-
Jesus is more than a Prophet sent from God.
He IS God!
(That’s it!)
Do
you get it?
October 10
John
6:22-71
Mark
7:1-23
Matthew
15:1-20
Our
earthly thinking is so limited and so flawed.
We must have the Spirit of God open our understanding and take the roots
of God’s Word deep into our hearts and minds.
When
Jesus spoke about manna and the Bread of Life, the context shows us that the
feeding of the 5,000 was intended to be a living illustration that Jesus IS the
Bread of Life. They should have GOT
IT! But they did not, and now Jesus is
explaining and they still don’t get it.
And then He speaks in the most radical terms possible when He says you
must eat my flesh and drink my blood to have eternal life. He did not start with words this dramatic,
but He eventually decided to “lay it all out on the table.” And He “lost” a large number of His
followers.
One
of my favorite verses is Peter’s answer to Jesus, when asked if they (the
Twelve) would leave too. Peter said, “Lord,
to whom would we go? You alone have the
words that give eternal life.” To whom
indeed! Peter and the others knew that
the ultimate goal of the Lord’s Words and actions was eternal life (not
temporal life) to all who believe.
October 11
Mark
7:24-30
Matthew
15:21-28
Mark
7:31-37
Matthew
15:29-31
Mark
8:1-10
Matthew
15:32-16:4
Mark
8:11-21
Matthew
16:5-12
The
Gentile woman provides such a wonderful lesson for us all in how to approach
God. We should never reach toward heaven
with anything but Jesus. Our
accomplishments are nothing – God’s work is everything. It is His justice and our sinfulness that
must exclude us. It is His mercy that
extends grace in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ.
Why
did Jesus put His fingers in the deaf and mute man’s ears and then touch his
tongue with spit? Perhaps to help the
man’s faith, but that seems unlikely.
Could not Jesus proclaim His healing?
One thing this entire section emphasizes is that Jesus is the Creator of
the universe. He creates from nothing. And He does it sometimes through processes
understood only by Him. I suppose we
could dig deeper and perhaps identify stronger possibilities. But sometimes when we do that we end up
imposing our own imaginations on sacred Scripture. The disciples still did not get it. Jesus is Lord!
October 12
Mark
8:22-30
Matthew
16:13-20
Luke
9:18-20
Mark
Matthew
16:21-28
Luke
9:21-27
Mark
9:2-13
Matthew
17:1-13
Luke
9:28-36
Oh
boy! Yet another miracle in which Jesus
used spit. I used to think that this was
just some kind of odd faith-builder, but I now think it could be something
more. I won’t dwell on that here. The man must have had some kind of accident
or degenerative disease that blinded him.
We are not told he is blind from birth and he does seem to recognize
what trees should look like and what men should look like even before he sees
clearly. This miracle is such a huge
lesson to me, because we must learn to see people as Jesus sees them. And frankly, with our blurred spiritual
vision, we too often see them as having little more value than trees. If man has no eternal soul, then he is indeed
nothing more than a walking tree. But
that is not the image we should be seeing.
Only an anointing from Christ - only the saliva of the Son of God with
the DNA of the Son of Man with the fallen soil of earth applied once again by
the Creator to the blinded eyes of man, can bring sufficient clarity to see the
image of God in the sons of men. Only
the Spirit of God can bring us to love them as ourselves. May we see Jesus as Peter, James, and John saw
Him – as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, fully pleasing to the Father.
October 13
Mark
9:14-29
Matthew
17:14-21
Luke
9:37-43a
Mark
9:30-32
Matthew
17:22-23
Luke
9:43b-45
Matthew
17:24-27
Mark
9:33-37
Matthew
18:1-6
Luke
9:46-48
Mark
9:38-41
Luke
9:49-50
Mark
9:42-50
Matthew
18:7-35
What
a pitiful scene this is – the tormented boy – the desperate father. And into the midst of this scene walks the
Lord of Glory. While the accusing crowd
and the confused disciples step back, the Messiah begins an interview.
I
do not think the Lord needed the information.
I think He knew that the people needed to talk about it. It is possible He constrained Himself to the
limitations of His humanity, but we know in at least some cases that He
demonstrated His omniscience clearly.
One of the most interesting (and puzzling) questions is the one Jesus
asked the father of the boy, “How long has this been happening?” What does time have to do with anything? Is the Lord just making small talk or
cultivating faith in the man? Or is it
even more mysterious, because other accounts of demonic activities in the
Gospels and elsewhere indicate these forces are
regimented with specifically assigned tenures.
October 14
John
7:1-9
Luke
9:51-56
Matthew
8:18-22
Luke
9:57-62
John
7:10-8:20
The
intensity is really starting to build as the Passion Week draws closer. The section opens with Jesus’ own brothers
scoffing and dogging Him. That will
change after the Resurrection, but for now, one has to wonder how Jesus
felt. Certainly, there was no wavering
in His commitment to His Father and His mission; but one has to wonder if His
human emotions felt the sadness – the heartbreak – from the disbelief of His
own loved ones. I think we miss it
sometimes – just how alone Jesus was from the human perspective, but the text
says He resolutely set out for
One
recurring phrase is “His time had not yet come.” We should all be perfectly clear, Jesus was not
moving foolishly toward catastrophe. He
was moving toward His final fulfillment of His Father’s will. God Himself was the orchestra Conductor
during this whole symphony. He doesn’t
sidestep the evil that men intend – nor does He author it; He employs it for
the good of those called to His purpose.
There is no lack of culpability in sinful men and women, and there is no
lack of Sovereign omniscience and omnipotence - working all for the glory of
His unfailing love.
October 15
John
8:21-59
Luke
10:1-11:13
Probably
the thing that stands out the most in this section is the way Jesus talked to people.
I can hardly believe that anyone could read this section (especially
John 8) and still think that Jesus is weak and sugary. He is loving – no
question about it, but He is not weak.
He did not bring a message of mercy without delivering a clear message
of justice. This is an offense to the
world, because His message was as much a message of exclusion as it was of
inclusion.
Luke
has written such powerful elements of the Gospel of Jesus in this section. He sends out the 70 in pairs and ultimately
taught them that their source of joy should be their heavenly citizenship. He thanked the Father and taught a lawyer (as
well as all of us), that the one we might normally consider an enemy is one to
be considered a neighbor. We learned
about Mary and Martha and the nature of devotion. And of course, Jesus taught the importance of
persistence in prayer. I am reminded
every day that the Bible is inexhaustible, and today is no different.
October 16
Luke
11:14-12:34
How
could anyone read this section and not want Christ more than the things of this
world? I don’t think the actual word
“freedom” is used anywhere in this section and yet the theme of genuine freedom
in Christ saturates it.
I
also think the manner in which Jesus speaks to the scribes and Pharisees is
notable. Most seminaries (I think) would
have to flunk Him, at least in the area of using non-offensive language in the
content of the message. Nevertheless,
Jesus tells them precisely what they are doing.
And while they consider His words to be insulting, they do not deny
them. No, instead they purpose to kill
Him. I think that is because He told the
truth about them – it was too clear – and it hit too hard. They could not stand it.
But
I return to where I started – with the marvelous liberation of knowing God has
given us the Kingdom, and He is happy to do so.
October 17
Luke
John
9:1-41
This
morning, for the first time in a year and a half, I will speak to the
congregation. But for now, (humanly
speaking) I am alone, very alone. And
yet, here I sit with the Lord – my Lord – my constant companion, and a flood of
thoughts. I consider this testimony I
will give and consider this section I am reading this morning. When I wonder why I have gone through all I
have gone through and I think about what God has done in my life; and now the
pulpit is loaned to me, I think “this has happened for the glory of God.” Father, may it all be for your glory! May the people see that they must be ready
for Your coming, and not be devastated by the division
that may be caused from serving You. May
they repent and bring forth fruit. May
our every purpose be to bring You glory by doing good
to others. Father, may we trust that
even the smallest act of faith can spread and affect everything around us. Father, open our eyes! For Christ, amen.
October 18
John
10:1-42
Luke
13:22-14:24
If we
could just remember this picture that Jesus gives of the thief and robber that
sneaks over the wall of the sheepfold.
Ø Then we would begin to
understand the invisible battle being waged for our souls.
Ø Then we would be less frozen
and afraid when the enemy comes in like a flood.
Ø Then we would grip the Sword
of the Spirit and stand firm in faith.
And
if our faith was weak and we became afraid (not of the enemy, but of
ourselves), we would run – we would flee – the youthful lusts and other
temptations that try to overwhelm us.
Sometimes we can stand in the
name of Jesus and sometimes we must run
to the arms of Jesus (without hesitation).
I
wanted to write a little about Jesus’ timeless lament over
October 19
Luke
John
11:1-37
Possibly
my favorite illustration of the Lord is “The Lost Sheep.” I guess because I have been astray for so
much of my life and the Father has been so gracious. My second favorite is the Prodigal.
In
verse 16:12, we could learn a lot about credit when it says, “if you are not faithful with other peoples money, why
should you be trusted with money of your own.”
And a little after that (vs. 13), “You cannot serve both God and
money.” But it seems to me that is
exactly what one does when one binds himself with debts from credit extended to
him so he could enjoy something earlier than if he saved for it. I do not refer to needs, but to falsely
perceived needs or just sheer entertainment.
And because of the impatience due to lust, the person pays more! That is serving money and the Bible says, that person removes his ability to serve God as he
should. I am grieved today because there
are people I love very much who serve money and who cannot be trusted “with
other people’s money.”
October 20
John
11:38-57
Luke
17:11-18:8
The
tension really seems to escalate in this section. Jesus knows the time is near, but the timing
is important. Passover approaches but it
is not yet here. The priests already
want to kill Him and have determined to arrest Him. So He lays low in a place near the
wilderness.
I
am fascinated by the account of the 10 lepers, one of which (a Samaritan)
returned when he realized he was healed.
Lord, it has taken so long – so much of my life to return – to see my
healing and return to You.
And
then there is the story of the persistent widow seeking justice, reminding us
that the injustices parading before us everyday are limited. The tenure of the parade is limited.
Because
right between these 2 presentations is the description of the return of the Son
of Man. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
October 21
Luke
18:9-14
Mark
10:1-12
Matthew
19:1-12
Mark
10:13-16
Matthew
19:13-15
Luke
18:15-17
Mark
10:17-31
Matthew
19:16-30
Luke
18:18-30
It
is interesting how the positions of the Pharisee and the tax collector are
described.
Ø One stood “by himself;”
o
The other “at a distance.”
Ø One rejoiced in his separation;
o
The other lamented.
Ø One considered himself
better;
o
The other, worse.
Ø One considered others unworthy;
o
The other considered himself
unworthy.
Ø One used the sinner as his
standard of measurement;
o
The other, the righteousness of God.
Ø One looked out in
pride;
o
The other looked down in shame.
The
Pharisee was not called a sinner by Jesus; the tax collector was.
The
Pharisee was not called “justified” by Jesus; the tax collector was.
This
leads so perfectly into the Lord’s words about marriage and divorce, the
accessibility of the
Also
just a quick note about the man with wealth: Jesus loved the man (Mark
October 22
Matthew
20:1-16
Mark
10:32-34
Matthew
20:17-19
Luke
18:31-34
Mark
10:35-45
Matthew
20:20-34
Mark
10:46b-52
Luke
I
think this is our nature to think that we deserve something based on our work
rather than the agreement (the covenant), and the sheer grace of God. Sometimes in the workplace we want to tell
the employer how his whole philosophy of business management is wrong, and even
indict him. We forget that when we were
without a job and no hope for income, we only desired gracious acceptance and
placement – any place. Oh how we should
all take care, having begun in grace through faith, to not depart from it
through corrupt and egocentric thought.
May God help us – may we not succumb to the spirit of the age.
It
is so easy to second guess the teaching methods of Jesus when we consider the
perpetual ignorance and cluelessness of the disciples. But if we did such foolishness, we would simply
be ignoring the big picture.
The
contrast between the worker and the investor in the
October 23
Mark
14:3-9
Matthew
26:6-13
John
12:1-11
Mark
11:1-11
Matthew
21:1-11
Luke
19:28-40
John
12:12-19
Luke
19:41-44
John
12:20-36
The
way this Bible arranges things chronologically would make one think that the
woman who anointed the head of Jesus with expensive perfume is the same as
Mary, who John says anointed the feet of Jesus.
But even though the reaction to the extravagant use of expensive perfume
is similar, the differences are glaring and I think we must conclude they are
different.
Many
people were following Jesus because of Lazarus.
They believed that He had power over death. It is ironic that this will contribute to His
false conviction and execution. It is
also ironic that after His resurrection, many will believe on Him once again
because of His power over His own death.
Most
of the people who were acting all jazzed about the Lord still did not know that
He was the Messiah. At best they only
considered Him to be a prophet from
October 24
John
12:37-50
Mark
11:12-14
Matthew
21:18-22
Mark
11:15-19
Matthew
21:12-17
Luke
19:45-48
Mark
11:20-33
Matthew
21:23-27
Luke
20:1-8
This
first part in John is so powerful, because when the context of John and the
other Gospels (as a whole) is applied, we begin to enjoy a wonderful enrichment
(as well as addition) to our knowledge of God.
There are other places which tell us that many believed in Him. This passage appears to say the opposite. I wrote that this area tells us much about
God, but I should add we learn much about man also. Or specifically about man’s heart. It is deceitfully wicked and very fickled. The words
and actions of our Lord affected many men’s hearts, who
then turned to him; but many also turned away when they realized He wasn’t
teaching the legalism they had always been used to. And just like the Pharaoh, after one sees all
these miracles and hears all these proofs, and acknowledges His Lordship and
then turns and concludes that He is not Lord; there can be a hardening or blinding
so that their whole perspective of truth changes.
October 25
Matthew
21:28-32
Mark
12:1-12
Matthew
21:33-46
Luke
20:9-19
Matthew
22:1-14
Mark
12:13-17
Matthew
22:15-22
Luke
20:20-26
Mark
12:18-27
Matthew
22:23-33
Luke
20:27-40
It is
the day after the incredible gift of ministry-opportunity you gave me. The last two Sundays, the privilege of the
pulpit was shared with me. And Father in
Heaven, my heart is overwhelmed with the honor and blessing. I thought yesterday of the foolishness of
preaching being employed in the process of the glorious Gospel of God. To think that God would employ an instrument
of flesh like me, is too much to process. But then God did not actually say preaching
was foolish, He said the message preached was foolish
– meaning foolish to those who are perishing.
The
first section makes me think, Lord, how I must be ready to obey when You say, “Go.” I
don’t want to say one thing and do another.
Father, I can’t thank You enough for allowing me to see some of the
fruit. It is encouraging, and yet I know
it is foolish to think about this from a selfish viewpoint. Your Word and Your Spirit is “all and only”
that which can turn the hearts of men from the spirit of this age.
And
of course, we know from the text that we may be allowed to suffer persecution.
October 26
Mark
12:28-34
Matthew
22:34-40
Mark
12:35-37
Matthew
22:41-46
Luke
20:41-44
Mark
12:38-40
Matthew
23:1-12
Luke
20:45-47
Matthew
23:13-39
Mark
12:41-44
Luke
21:1-4
Why
are these the most important commandments? Because if we followed
these commandments we would fulfill all other commands from God without ever
hearing or reading them. Jesus
told the fellow that he was not far from the
Because
I think the only distance (the “not far”) the man was away from the Kingdom was
the distance between saying and doing.
He talked like he believed in the Lord, but he needed to bring forth
fruit that proved his repentance was genuine.
October 27
Mark
13:1-23
Matthew
24:1-25
Luke
21:5-24
Mark
13:24-31
Matthew
24:26-35
Luke
21:25-33
Can’t
help but note the grand finish of this section.
“My Word will never pass away.” So,
on the “importance” scale, where should we put this “Word” that Jesus
speaks? (Obviously,
rhetorical.)
Ø Some place importance on
physical condition, but Paul says that only brings a small profit.
Ø Some place importance on
money, but Jesus said service to money eclipses service to God.
Ø Some place importance on
earthly possessions but Jesus said all of it will pass into nothing.
But
the Words of Christ bring infinite profit, absolute prominence, and eternal
life. This is to me the most vital
lesson in this section.
The
rest of the section is heavily debated and sometimes divided over. I am inclined toward a partial-preterist view. I do
not think “this generation” refers to the generation at the time Jesus was
speaking, but rather to the time when the signs begin to appear. Also, the tragedies of 70 A.D. have been
repeated (and worse) many times.
October 28
Mark
13:32-37
Matthew
24:36-51
Luke
21:34-38
Matthew
25:1-46
The
phrase “Only the Father knows,” sort of grabs me. In addition to this context, it might be
applied to many others. But it might be
a little different now. It seems that
when the Son of Man walked this earth, such information was not available from
Him, but I suspect this could now be worded, “Only God knows.” Sometimes we apply human standards to our
God, our Father, and because of this, we misunderstand terribly Who God is.
The
parable of the Bridesmaids is so sobering.
We find ourselves asking, “How could all 10 have fallen asleep?” We should not lose this alert - that there is
this sense of delay in all of them. They
lost their alertness, were overwhelmed by slumber, and they fell asleep. If all 10 had oil but still slept, what do we
need to do to stay awake? The first
thing they did when they were awakened from their slumber was prepare their
lamps. Perhaps the slumber could be
avoided if the lamp is kept trimmed. But
this is a parable, right? We have a
lamp, oil, and the responsibility to trim.
How do I keep the lamp trimmed?
Probably the best instructions on lamp trimming can be found in two
notes.
If
we focus on one to the exclusion of the other, we will “miss the boat.” The Spirit and the Word are a package deal –
never independent – never exclusive of the other – never.
May
we wake up, and ask ourselves, “Does the Lord know us?”
October 29
Mark
14:1-2
Matthew
26:1-5
Luke
22:1-2
Mark
14:10-11
Matthew
26:14-16
Luke
22:3-6
Mark
14:12-16
Matthew
26:17-19
Luke
22:7-13
John
13:1-20
Mark
14:17-26
Matthew
26:20-30
Luke
22:14-30
John
13:18-30
We
have not come yet to Peter’s denial, but we have come to Judas’ betrayal. There has been much comparison of them,
usually focusing on how they handled their consciences afterwards. But what about the act
itself? The lesson is powerful -
there is a difference between betrayal and denial. Peter had already proven his courage when he
used his sword against the many Roman soldiers.
Now he is in the courtyard of the high priest, and I don’t think he is
denying knowing the Lord in fear for his safety. I think he does not want to lose his close
position to the Lord. The fact that he
even got into the courtyard was mind-blowing!
The reason I think he was more concerned with staying there than he was
with safety is because he did not try to escape after the first denial. I simply think it all began impulsively and
then got out of hand. But Judas
deliberately handed Christ Himself over to those who would kill Him.
I
am grateful for how the tone is set for the Last Supper in the book of John
with the washing of the disciples’ feet.
October 30
John
13:31-38
Mark
14:27-31
Matthew
26:31-35
Luke
22:31-38
John
14:1-15:17
I
was amazed as I read this part of John 13.
Jesus recognized what it would feel like to the disciples to suddenly
not have Him physically with them any more.
He was everything to them and slowly they were beginning to realize that
the entire Universe was His. It could be
one of the most devastating things imaginable!
How can that be compensated for – how can that devastation be avoided? Jesus has
a foolproof solution. He gives them a
new commandment. You might say it is the
third commandment. “Love each
other.” But that’s not all of it. He says to do it “just as I have loved
you…” The first two commandments (upon
which the Ten Commandments hang) speak of loving God with everything you are,
and loving your neighbor as yourself.
These are never to be diminished in the least. But now He says love someone else. Love your brother. Isn’t my brother and my neighbor the
same? Could be, but not necessarily, and
Jesus is clearly speaking about a very special, very important direction for
our love to be directed. When we read
the Epistles of John, we also see special attention is given (and is to be
given) to the relationship of the brothers and sisters – the Church. It is very important. It is very special. Do not love your brother as you love
yourself. Love him as “I have loved
him.” Two reasons:
October 31
John
15:18-17:26
I
am very glad this chronological daily reading Bible made the unit for this day
as it did; because the uninspired divisions notwithstanding, it is most
certainly a unit by necessity – by its very nature.
Our
Lord warns His disciples of just how harshly they will be treated and why. He does this so that when it happens, instead
of being driven from Him, they will be driven closer to Him. And how could the next subject be any more
perfect – the subject of the Holy Spirit.
Christ will go, so He can come – to comfort, to counsel, to encourage, and
to reveal things to come - all from the mystery of revelation within the Godhead.