John 12:12-19 (The Message)
See How Your King Comes
12-15The next day the huge crowd that had arrived for the Feast heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem. They broke off palm branches and went out to meet him. And they cheered:
Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in God's name!
Yes! The King of Israel!
Jesus got a young donkey and rode it, just as the Scripture has it:
No fear, Daughter Zion:
See how your king comes,
riding a donkey's colt.
16The disciples didn't notice the fulfillment of many Scriptures at the time, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that what was written about him matched what was done to him.
17-19The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, was there giving eyewitness accounts. It was because they had spread the word of this latest God-sign that the crowd swelled to a welcoming parade. The Pharisees took one look and threw up their hands: "It's out of control. The world's in a stampede after him."
We celebrate “Palm Sunday” on the Sunday one week before Easter. Some churches re-enact this story by actually waving palm branches and reciting the cheer of the crowd. Sometimes we call this story “The Triumphal Entry” because it tells how Jesus entered Jerusalem.
This event was important in the life of Jesus. Jesus had not been in the city of Jerusalem for some time, but like other Jewish people came to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Passover. (The Passover is a Jewish holiday which remembers how God freed the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.)
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem turned into a parade of sorts. The crowds saw that Jesus was entering the city and rushed out to meet him. They cheered and waved palm branches in the air. Why did the crowd do this? They had heard about Jesus and the signs Jesus had done, especially raising Lazarus from the dead. They thought Jesus was special, so special that they were welcoming him as they would have welcomed a king.
Jesus was and is indeed a king. But most kings of his day would have entered the city riding a big horse or in a chariot. Jesus did not enter that way. He rode a donkey, a humble and low animal compared to a mighty war horse. Jesus was not the kind of king the people expected.
In a few short days, this crowd, which cheered Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem, would change their shouts. They would no longer say “Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in God's name!
Yes! The King of Israel“
but rather, “"Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!"
How could the crowds turn their backs on Jesus in such a short time? They want to murder the one they hailed as a king.
Have you ever treated Jesus this way?
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Psalm 31:9-16 (TNIV)
9 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,
"Terror on every side!"
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
Imagine Jesus praying this prayer while he was dying on the cross. It should give us hope to know that Jesus trusted in God even as he was taking his last breaths. Jesus knew God would save him in God’s unfailing love.
Make this your prayer when you are in your darkest hour.
9 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,
"Terror on every side!"
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
Imagine Jesus praying this prayer while he was dying on the cross. It should give us hope to know that Jesus trusted in God even as he was taking his last breaths. Jesus knew God would save him in God’s unfailing love.
Make this your prayer when you are in your darkest hour.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message)
5-8Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
9-11Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
Do you have a best friend? Does your friend have certain words or phrases that he or she is always saying? Have you ever found yourself saying those same things? This is something that happens to all of us. When we hang out with a person we like for long periods of time we start to become like that person.
That is how it should work with Jesus. If we build a relationship with him and spend a lot of time getting to know who he is, we ought to start becoming like him.
This passage from Philippians tells us that we should be like Jesus in that we think of ourselves the way Jesus thought of himself. That way of thinking is called humility. Jesus was God, but he set aside his special powers and privileges in order that he might be human and die the worst kind of death, a slow painful one of suffocation while hanging on a cross. Because Jesus chose to live this life of humility in obedience to God, Jesus will be exalted and worshiped as king of everything.
Do you think of yourself the way Jesus thought of himself? Are you humble?
Are you obedient to God’s instructions in your own life?
What can you do to become more like Jesus?
5-8Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
9-11Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
Do you have a best friend? Does your friend have certain words or phrases that he or she is always saying? Have you ever found yourself saying those same things? This is something that happens to all of us. When we hang out with a person we like for long periods of time we start to become like that person.
That is how it should work with Jesus. If we build a relationship with him and spend a lot of time getting to know who he is, we ought to start becoming like him.
This passage from Philippians tells us that we should be like Jesus in that we think of ourselves the way Jesus thought of himself. That way of thinking is called humility. Jesus was God, but he set aside his special powers and privileges in order that he might be human and die the worst kind of death, a slow painful one of suffocation while hanging on a cross. Because Jesus chose to live this life of humility in obedience to God, Jesus will be exalted and worshiped as king of everything.
Do you think of yourself the way Jesus thought of himself? Are you humble?
Are you obedient to God’s instructions in your own life?
What can you do to become more like Jesus?
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Isaiah 50:4-9 (TNIV)
4 The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
5 The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who are my accusers?
Let them confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
This passage was recorded by the prophet Isaiah, many years before Jesus was born. Isaiah was a messenger of God, who taught and preached to the people of Israel. We can imagine that in this passage Isaiah was describing his own life, how he was been instructed and helped by God. He was God’s representative, even though there were people who mistreated, confronted, and condemned him.
Do you think Jesus could have felt like Isaiah did? Why or why not? How was Jesus instructed and helped by God?
4 The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
5 The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
8 He who vindicates me is near.
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who are my accusers?
Let them confront me!
9 It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me.
Who will condemn me?
This passage was recorded by the prophet Isaiah, many years before Jesus was born. Isaiah was a messenger of God, who taught and preached to the people of Israel. We can imagine that in this passage Isaiah was describing his own life, how he was been instructed and helped by God. He was God’s representative, even though there were people who mistreated, confronted, and condemned him.
Do you think Jesus could have felt like Isaiah did? Why or why not? How was Jesus instructed and helped by God?
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
John 16:16-33 (The Message)
16"In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me."
Joy Like a River Overflowing
17-18That stirred up a hornet's nest of questions among the disciples: "What's he talking about: 'In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me'? And, 'Because I'm on my way to the Father'? What is this 'day or so'? We don't know what he's talking about."
19-20Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, "Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, 'In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me'? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You're going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You'll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.
21-23"When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there's no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain. The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you'll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you. You'll no longer be so full of questions.
23-24"This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I've revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he'll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!
25-28"I've used figures of speech in telling you these things. Soon I'll drop the figures and tell you about the Father in plain language. Then you can make your requests directly to him in relation to this life I've revealed to you. I won't continue making requests of the Father on your behalf. I won't need to. Because you've gone out on a limb, committed yourselves to love and trust in me, believing I came directly from the Father, the Father loves you directly. First, I left the Father and arrived in the world; now I leave the world and travel to the Father."
29-30His disciples said, "Finally! You're giving it to us straight, in plain talk—no more figures of speech. Now we know that you know everything—it all comes together in you. You won't have to put up with our questions anymore. We're convinced you came from God."
31-33Jesus answered them, "Do you finally believe? In fact, you're about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I'm not abandoned. The Father is with me. I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."
As usual, the disciples are confused at the way Jesus teaches. He has been talking about how the disciples will not see him in a day or so but then they will see him another day or so after that. We can understand their confusion when we remember that the disciples did not yet understand that Jesus was going to die and then be raised to life again.
Jesus tells the disciples they will experience sadness while the rest of the world is happy. We know that is what happens: the disciples are sad when Jesus is crucified, but the rest of the world is happy.
Jesus also gives the disciples some instructions about prayer. The disciples are to ask God the Father for things in accordance with Jesus’ will and in Jesus’ name. Jesus no longer has to be go between God the Father and the disciples; because of the disciples’ faith in Jesus they can go directly to the Father.
Jesus knows that despite his best efforts at preparing the disciples for his death, they are going to leave him when things get tough. He also knows that God the Father will never leave him, even if things are tough. Jesus gives the disciples this reminder: they will still face trouble in the world, but there is hope and reason to rejoice, Jesus has already overcome the world. His resurrection (being raised to life after having died) will soon prove it.
Just as the Father never abandoned Jesus, the Father will never abandon us. Like the disciples, we can face the troubles of the world. We know that Jesus has overcome the world.
During your day today, you or someone you know will face trouble or difficult situations. How can you remind yourself or someone you know that God never abandons you in your times of trouble and difficulty?
16"In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me."
Joy Like a River Overflowing
17-18That stirred up a hornet's nest of questions among the disciples: "What's he talking about: 'In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me'? And, 'Because I'm on my way to the Father'? What is this 'day or so'? We don't know what he's talking about."
19-20Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, "Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, 'In a day or so you're not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me'? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You're going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You'll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.
21-23"When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there's no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain. The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you'll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you. You'll no longer be so full of questions.
23-24"This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I've revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he'll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!
25-28"I've used figures of speech in telling you these things. Soon I'll drop the figures and tell you about the Father in plain language. Then you can make your requests directly to him in relation to this life I've revealed to you. I won't continue making requests of the Father on your behalf. I won't need to. Because you've gone out on a limb, committed yourselves to love and trust in me, believing I came directly from the Father, the Father loves you directly. First, I left the Father and arrived in the world; now I leave the world and travel to the Father."
29-30His disciples said, "Finally! You're giving it to us straight, in plain talk—no more figures of speech. Now we know that you know everything—it all comes together in you. You won't have to put up with our questions anymore. We're convinced you came from God."
31-33Jesus answered them, "Do you finally believe? In fact, you're about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I'm not abandoned. The Father is with me. I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."
As usual, the disciples are confused at the way Jesus teaches. He has been talking about how the disciples will not see him in a day or so but then they will see him another day or so after that. We can understand their confusion when we remember that the disciples did not yet understand that Jesus was going to die and then be raised to life again.
Jesus tells the disciples they will experience sadness while the rest of the world is happy. We know that is what happens: the disciples are sad when Jesus is crucified, but the rest of the world is happy.
Jesus also gives the disciples some instructions about prayer. The disciples are to ask God the Father for things in accordance with Jesus’ will and in Jesus’ name. Jesus no longer has to be go between God the Father and the disciples; because of the disciples’ faith in Jesus they can go directly to the Father.
Jesus knows that despite his best efforts at preparing the disciples for his death, they are going to leave him when things get tough. He also knows that God the Father will never leave him, even if things are tough. Jesus gives the disciples this reminder: they will still face trouble in the world, but there is hope and reason to rejoice, Jesus has already overcome the world. His resurrection (being raised to life after having died) will soon prove it.
Just as the Father never abandoned Jesus, the Father will never abandon us. Like the disciples, we can face the troubles of the world. We know that Jesus has overcome the world.
During your day today, you or someone you know will face trouble or difficult situations. How can you remind yourself or someone you know that God never abandons you in your times of trouble and difficulty?
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Philippians 3:4-14 (The Message)
3-6The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it. We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book.
7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.
10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
Focused on the Goal
12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
One of the most famous followers of Jesus is the apostle Paul. Paul was a missionary who started many churches and wrote several books of the Bible. He wrote the book of Philippians from which we read today.
In the first part of this reading, Paul is listing his credentials. He is doing this because many people were bragging about their own credentials and saying they could get to heaven on their credentials alone. (Credentials are all the good qualities you have and the good things you have done.) Paul says that of anybody, he has the best religious credentials there are. But, he would throw them in the trash. Paul knows his credentials are not what will save him. What will save him is knowing Jesus.
Paul also writes that he does not have everything together. He is still in the process of knowing Jesus and living like Jesus did. But even though Paul is not an expert on living like Jesus, he is committed and focused on the goal. Paul writes “I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.”
Can you say, like Paul, “I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back“?
3-6The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it. We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book.
7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.
10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
Focused on the Goal
12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
One of the most famous followers of Jesus is the apostle Paul. Paul was a missionary who started many churches and wrote several books of the Bible. He wrote the book of Philippians from which we read today.
In the first part of this reading, Paul is listing his credentials. He is doing this because many people were bragging about their own credentials and saying they could get to heaven on their credentials alone. (Credentials are all the good qualities you have and the good things you have done.) Paul says that of anybody, he has the best religious credentials there are. But, he would throw them in the trash. Paul knows his credentials are not what will save him. What will save him is knowing Jesus.
Paul also writes that he does not have everything together. He is still in the process of knowing Jesus and living like Jesus did. But even though Paul is not an expert on living like Jesus, he is committed and focused on the goal. Paul writes “I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.”
Can you say, like Paul, “I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back“?
Monday, March 26, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Isaiah 43:16-21 (The Message)
16-21This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can't get up;
they're snuffed out like so many candles:
"Forget about what's happened;
don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say 'Thank you!'
—the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
the people I made especially for myself,
a people custom-made to praise me.
Our God can do anything. According to Isaiah, a messenger of God’s word, God builds roads through the ocean and stills mighty armies. God can also do new things. Isaiah says God is going to do something new by making a road through the desert and bringing water. Wild animals will thank God for it, and God’s chosen people will drink it.
Sometimes when the Bible talks about deserts it is referring to the kind of deserts that are geographical features, the kind of places that do not get much rain. Other times when the Bible mentions deserts it is using the term as a metaphor. A desert might not be a geographical feature but rather a condition in which people live, a place where people live without God’s rain/reign.
The desert in this passage from Isaiah could be either kind, but we might suggest it refers to the kind of desert in which we live. This passage comes up a lot during Lent. It may be because we think of God sending Jesus to earth to live as “something brand-new”. Jesus, who is “the Way”, or as the Message translates, “the Road” is a “road through the desert”. Jesus brings “living water” to our spiritually dry conditions. When we drink from him, we will not thirst again and will be given real, eternal life.
Have you ever felt like you were living in a desert? When? What did you do?
When you are in a desert place, do you call out to God?
How has Jesus brought water to your spiritually dry condition?
16-21This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can't get up;
they're snuffed out like so many candles:
"Forget about what's happened;
don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say 'Thank you!'
—the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
the people I made especially for myself,
a people custom-made to praise me.
Our God can do anything. According to Isaiah, a messenger of God’s word, God builds roads through the ocean and stills mighty armies. God can also do new things. Isaiah says God is going to do something new by making a road through the desert and bringing water. Wild animals will thank God for it, and God’s chosen people will drink it.
Sometimes when the Bible talks about deserts it is referring to the kind of deserts that are geographical features, the kind of places that do not get much rain. Other times when the Bible mentions deserts it is using the term as a metaphor. A desert might not be a geographical feature but rather a condition in which people live, a place where people live without God’s rain/reign.
The desert in this passage from Isaiah could be either kind, but we might suggest it refers to the kind of desert in which we live. This passage comes up a lot during Lent. It may be because we think of God sending Jesus to earth to live as “something brand-new”. Jesus, who is “the Way”, or as the Message translates, “the Road” is a “road through the desert”. Jesus brings “living water” to our spiritually dry conditions. When we drink from him, we will not thirst again and will be given real, eternal life.
Have you ever felt like you were living in a desert? When? What did you do?
When you are in a desert place, do you call out to God?
How has Jesus brought water to your spiritually dry condition?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
John 12:1-11 (The Message)
Anointing His Feet
1-3Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus' feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house.
4-6Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said, "Why wasn't this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces." He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but also embezzled them.
7-8Jesus said, "Let her alone. She's anticipating and honoring the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you. You don't always have me."
9-11Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead. So the high priests plotted to kill Lazarus because so many of the Jews were going over and believing in Jesus on account of him.
Jesus was keeping a low profile in a desert town, but he returned to Bethany, where Lazarus, Mary, and Martha live. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were dear friends of Jesus. While eating dinner at their home, Mary poured perfumed oil over Jesus’ feet and dried his feet with her hair. It was common and expected that a person would have their feet washed before a meal. After all, the roads in Jesus’ day were made of dirt and everybody wore sandals. Can you imagine how dirty their feet would get?
It is out of the ordinary that Mary used such expensive perfume to wash Jesus’ feet. It might have been the same kind of oil that was used to anoint kings. Judas, who was already misusing the disciples’ money did not like the use of something so expensive. But Jesus approved. He used this as another way to remind the disciples he was going to die. He said that Mary was anointing him for burial.
While Mary may not have realized she was anointing Jesus for his burial she did know she was giving a great gift to him. Maybe she did realize Jesus was a king. To Mary it did not matter how much the oil cost, and she did not see it as a waste. Instead, by anointing Jesus’ feet, Mary was showing her love and devotion to him, her faith in him.
Would you be willing to give your most expensive possession to Jesus?
Loving God, thank you for accepting Mary’s gift of love and devotion. Teach us how to give gifts like that, gifts where we do not hold back but lay gifts at your feet in extravagant and generous ways. Teach us to give gifts worthy of our king. God, we love you and we want to show you our faith in you. Help us learn to be your devoted followers. Amen.
Anointing His Feet
1-3Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus' feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house.
4-6Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said, "Why wasn't this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces." He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but also embezzled them.
7-8Jesus said, "Let her alone. She's anticipating and honoring the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you. You don't always have me."
9-11Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead. So the high priests plotted to kill Lazarus because so many of the Jews were going over and believing in Jesus on account of him.
Jesus was keeping a low profile in a desert town, but he returned to Bethany, where Lazarus, Mary, and Martha live. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were dear friends of Jesus. While eating dinner at their home, Mary poured perfumed oil over Jesus’ feet and dried his feet with her hair. It was common and expected that a person would have their feet washed before a meal. After all, the roads in Jesus’ day were made of dirt and everybody wore sandals. Can you imagine how dirty their feet would get?
It is out of the ordinary that Mary used such expensive perfume to wash Jesus’ feet. It might have been the same kind of oil that was used to anoint kings. Judas, who was already misusing the disciples’ money did not like the use of something so expensive. But Jesus approved. He used this as another way to remind the disciples he was going to die. He said that Mary was anointing him for burial.
While Mary may not have realized she was anointing Jesus for his burial she did know she was giving a great gift to him. Maybe she did realize Jesus was a king. To Mary it did not matter how much the oil cost, and she did not see it as a waste. Instead, by anointing Jesus’ feet, Mary was showing her love and devotion to him, her faith in him.
Would you be willing to give your most expensive possession to Jesus?
Loving God, thank you for accepting Mary’s gift of love and devotion. Teach us how to give gifts like that, gifts where we do not hold back but lay gifts at your feet in extravagant and generous ways. Teach us to give gifts worthy of our king. God, we love you and we want to show you our faith in you. Help us learn to be your devoted followers. Amen.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Psalm 71:1-14 (TNIV)
1 In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother's womb.
I will ever praise you.
7 I have become like a portent* to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
9 Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11 They say, "God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him."
12 Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
13 May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
[*a portent is like a bad omen, threat, or warning]
Have you ever needed to pray a psalm like this one? When? Was it a desperate or hopeless situation?
Do you think Jesus ever needed to pray a psalm like this one? When? Was it when there were threats out to arrest and kill him? Was it when he hung on the cross?
Look at verse 14 again. Could you tell God that even in the midst of your desperate or hopeless situation?
Do you think Jesus would have prayed verse 14? Why or why not?
Copy Psalm 71:14 on a note card. Put it somewhere, maybe by your computer or mirror, where you will see it often. Pray it, even when you do not think you can.
1 In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother's womb.
I will ever praise you.
7 I have become like a portent* to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
9 Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11 They say, "God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him."
12 Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
13 May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
[*a portent is like a bad omen, threat, or warning]
Have you ever needed to pray a psalm like this one? When? Was it a desperate or hopeless situation?
Do you think Jesus ever needed to pray a psalm like this one? When? Was it when there were threats out to arrest and kill him? Was it when he hung on the cross?
Look at verse 14 again. Could you tell God that even in the midst of your desperate or hopeless situation?
Do you think Jesus would have prayed verse 14? Why or why not?
Copy Psalm 71:14 on a note card. Put it somewhere, maybe by your computer or mirror, where you will see it often. Pray it, even when you do not think you can.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
John 11:45-57 (The Message)
The Man Who Creates God-Signs
45-48That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him. But some went back to the Pharisees and told on Jesus. The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body. "What do we do now?" they asked. "This man keeps on doing things, creating God-signs. If we let him go on, pretty soon everyone will be believing in him and the Romans will come and remove what little power and privilege we still have."
49-52Then one of them—it was Caiaphas, the designated Chief Priest that year—spoke up, "Don't you know anything? Can't you see that it's to our advantage that one man dies for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed?" He didn't say this of his own accord, but as Chief Priest that year he unwittingly prophesied that Jesus was about to die sacrificially for the nation, and not only for the nation but so that all God's exile-scattered children might be gathered together into one people.
53-54From that day on, they plotted to kill him. So Jesus no longer went out in public among the Jews. He withdrew into the country bordering the desert to a town called Ephraim and secluded himself there with his disciples.
55-56The Jewish Passover was coming up. Crowds of people were making their way from the country up to Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the Feast. They were curious about Jesus. There was a lot of talk of him among those standing around in the Temple: "What do you think? Do you think he'll show up at the Feast or not?"
57Meanwhile, the high priests and Pharisees gave out the word that anyone getting wind of him should inform them. They were all set to arrest him.
This passage follows after the passage we read yesterday when Jesus raised Lazarus back to life. Many people were with Jesus when he called Lazarus out of the tomb. People had come to mourn with Mary and Martha, and there were probably people with Jesus, following him around to hear his teachings. A lot of people saw what Jesus did. There were two reactions to Jesus’ action. After seeing Jesus raise Lazarus to life, some people started to believe in him. Others decided to be tattle-tales and went and reported Jesus’ actions to the religious leaders, the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were afraid of Jesus. Jesus was different. He was teaching radical lessons in radical ways. The Pharisees knew that if more people began following Jesus, less people would be following the Pharisees, and they did not want to give up their power. They also did not want their teaching to be proven wrong.
As a result of their fear, the Pharisees began to plot to murder Jesus. They sent word that they wanted Jesus arrested, then they would have him killed.
Do you ever wonder how Jesus felt, knowing that people were planning to arrest him and kill him? It is like Jesus’ face being on a “Wanted” poster, hung up in all the prominent market places. He could no longer go out in public, but stayed in a desert town with his disciples until the right time.
In many countries around the world, followers of Jesus experience what he once did. There are Christians who have to hide because the government and the police have their names on “Wanted” lists. Some governments, like the Pharisees do not want people to believe in Jesus. Take a few minutes to pray for Christians around the world who, on a daily basis, hide because they might be arrested, and even killed.
The Man Who Creates God-Signs
45-48That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him. But some went back to the Pharisees and told on Jesus. The high priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish ruling body. "What do we do now?" they asked. "This man keeps on doing things, creating God-signs. If we let him go on, pretty soon everyone will be believing in him and the Romans will come and remove what little power and privilege we still have."
49-52Then one of them—it was Caiaphas, the designated Chief Priest that year—spoke up, "Don't you know anything? Can't you see that it's to our advantage that one man dies for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed?" He didn't say this of his own accord, but as Chief Priest that year he unwittingly prophesied that Jesus was about to die sacrificially for the nation, and not only for the nation but so that all God's exile-scattered children might be gathered together into one people.
53-54From that day on, they plotted to kill him. So Jesus no longer went out in public among the Jews. He withdrew into the country bordering the desert to a town called Ephraim and secluded himself there with his disciples.
55-56The Jewish Passover was coming up. Crowds of people were making their way from the country up to Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the Feast. They were curious about Jesus. There was a lot of talk of him among those standing around in the Temple: "What do you think? Do you think he'll show up at the Feast or not?"
57Meanwhile, the high priests and Pharisees gave out the word that anyone getting wind of him should inform them. They were all set to arrest him.
This passage follows after the passage we read yesterday when Jesus raised Lazarus back to life. Many people were with Jesus when he called Lazarus out of the tomb. People had come to mourn with Mary and Martha, and there were probably people with Jesus, following him around to hear his teachings. A lot of people saw what Jesus did. There were two reactions to Jesus’ action. After seeing Jesus raise Lazarus to life, some people started to believe in him. Others decided to be tattle-tales and went and reported Jesus’ actions to the religious leaders, the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were afraid of Jesus. Jesus was different. He was teaching radical lessons in radical ways. The Pharisees knew that if more people began following Jesus, less people would be following the Pharisees, and they did not want to give up their power. They also did not want their teaching to be proven wrong.
As a result of their fear, the Pharisees began to plot to murder Jesus. They sent word that they wanted Jesus arrested, then they would have him killed.
Do you ever wonder how Jesus felt, knowing that people were planning to arrest him and kill him? It is like Jesus’ face being on a “Wanted” poster, hung up in all the prominent market places. He could no longer go out in public, but stayed in a desert town with his disciples until the right time.
In many countries around the world, followers of Jesus experience what he once did. There are Christians who have to hide because the government and the police have their names on “Wanted” lists. Some governments, like the Pharisees do not want people to believe in Jesus. Take a few minutes to pray for Christians around the world who, on a daily basis, hide because they might be arrested, and even killed.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
John 11:17-44 (The Message)
17-20When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.
21-22Martha said, "Master, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you."
23Jesus said, "Your brother will be raised up."
24Martha replied, "I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time."
25-26"You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?"
27"Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world."
28After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you."
29-32The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. Jesus had not yet entered the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, "Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33-34When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, "Where did you put him?"
34-35"Master, come and see," they said. Now Jesus wept.
36The Jews said, "Look how deeply he loved him."
37Others among them said, "Well, if he loved him so much, why didn't he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man."
38-39Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone."
The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!"
40Jesus looked her in the eye. "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41-42Then, to the others, "Go ahead, take away the stone."
They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, I'm grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I've spoken so that they might believe that you sent me."
43-44Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.
Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him loose."
In this passage we see two important aspects of who Jesus is. One is that Jesus is God and he had the power to raise Lazarus, who had already been dead for four days, back to life. The second is that as a human just like us, Jesus felt emotions. What different emotions did Jesus feel in this passage?
Jesus cried because he was sad. He loved Lazarus and his family and mourned death with him. Jesus also felt anger. Maybe he was angry that Lazarus had died. Maybe Jesus was angry that the people doubted him and what he could do. The passage does not really tell us why Jesus was angry, but that he was.
Does knowing Jesus felt emotions help you trust him? Why or why not?
Does knowing Jesus has the power to raise the dead help you trust him? Why or why not?
17-20When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.
21-22Martha said, "Master, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you."
23Jesus said, "Your brother will be raised up."
24Martha replied, "I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time."
25-26"You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?"
27"Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world."
28After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you."
29-32The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. Jesus had not yet entered the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, "Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33-34When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, "Where did you put him?"
34-35"Master, come and see," they said. Now Jesus wept.
36The Jews said, "Look how deeply he loved him."
37Others among them said, "Well, if he loved him so much, why didn't he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man."
38-39Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone."
The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!"
40Jesus looked her in the eye. "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41-42Then, to the others, "Go ahead, take away the stone."
They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, I'm grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I've spoken so that they might believe that you sent me."
43-44Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.
Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him loose."
In this passage we see two important aspects of who Jesus is. One is that Jesus is God and he had the power to raise Lazarus, who had already been dead for four days, back to life. The second is that as a human just like us, Jesus felt emotions. What different emotions did Jesus feel in this passage?
Jesus cried because he was sad. He loved Lazarus and his family and mourned death with him. Jesus also felt anger. Maybe he was angry that Lazarus had died. Maybe Jesus was angry that the people doubted him and what he could do. The passage does not really tell us why Jesus was angry, but that he was.
Does knowing Jesus felt emotions help you trust him? Why or why not?
Does knowing Jesus has the power to raise the dead help you trust him? Why or why not?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
John 10:1-21 (The Message)
He Calls His Sheep by Name
1-5 "Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it."
6-10Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I'll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
11-13"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He's only in it for the money. The sheep don't matter to him.
14-18"I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They'll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father."
19-21This kind of talk caused another split in the Jewish ranks. A lot of them were saying, "He's crazy, a maniac—out of his head completely. Why bother listening to him?" But others weren't so sure: "These aren't the words of a crazy man. Can a 'maniac' open blind eyes?"
Here we have another example of Jesus being called crazy. This time, he has been using the example of a gate and shepherd to talk about himself. As the gate, Jesus is the way we go in to God, the way in to be cared for. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus gathers his sheep (his people). They know him and he knows them. He also will go to every length to keep his people safe, even if it means compromising his own safety.
Once again, people are confused. Some people are saying Jesus is crazy, but then other people, people who have been blind, have been healed; they can see! A crazy person might call himself the gate of a sheep pen but how could a crazy person heal people?
Think about sheep. Sheep are supposed to be dumb. They follow each other and wander around aimlessly unless they are being guided by a shepherd. Which would be better to have a shepherd who takes care of the sheep just to get a paycheck or a shepherd who takes care of the sheep because he knows and loves them?
Jesus is the second kind of shepherd. He knows and loves us. He is willing to sacrifice himself for us. He did. And he is not crazy.
Are you willing to be one of his sheep?
He Calls His Sheep by Name
1-5 "Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he's up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it."
6-10Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I'll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
11-13"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. He's only in it for the money. The sheep don't matter to him.
14-18"I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They'll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father."
19-21This kind of talk caused another split in the Jewish ranks. A lot of them were saying, "He's crazy, a maniac—out of his head completely. Why bother listening to him?" But others weren't so sure: "These aren't the words of a crazy man. Can a 'maniac' open blind eyes?"
Here we have another example of Jesus being called crazy. This time, he has been using the example of a gate and shepherd to talk about himself. As the gate, Jesus is the way we go in to God, the way in to be cared for. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus gathers his sheep (his people). They know him and he knows them. He also will go to every length to keep his people safe, even if it means compromising his own safety.
Once again, people are confused. Some people are saying Jesus is crazy, but then other people, people who have been blind, have been healed; they can see! A crazy person might call himself the gate of a sheep pen but how could a crazy person heal people?
Think about sheep. Sheep are supposed to be dumb. They follow each other and wander around aimlessly unless they are being guided by a shepherd. Which would be better to have a shepherd who takes care of the sheep just to get a paycheck or a shepherd who takes care of the sheep because he knows and loves them?
Jesus is the second kind of shepherd. He knows and loves us. He is willing to sacrifice himself for us. He did. And he is not crazy.
Are you willing to be one of his sheep?
Monday, March 19, 2007
Isaiah 53 (The Message)
1 Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
2-6The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
7-9He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
10Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
11-12Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.
Does it surprise you to know that this passage was written by the prophet Isaiah long before Jesus was born? How does it describe how Jesus lived and died?
What does it say about why Jesus died?
How does that make you feel?
Say a prayer to God, telling him about those feelings.
1 Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
2-6The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
7-9He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
10Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
11-12Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.
Does it surprise you to know that this passage was written by the prophet Isaiah long before Jesus was born? How does it describe how Jesus lived and died?
What does it say about why Jesus died?
How does that make you feel?
Say a prayer to God, telling him about those feelings.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (The Message)
16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!* Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. 21How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.
[*burgeons means to blossom or grow]
God’s desire is that we would all be made right and be in a relationship with Him. God wants to be our friend. That is why he sent Jesus. God let Jesus carry all our wrongs so that we would not have to and we could be made right.
As followers of Jesus, we are supposed to continue his work in the world. Once Jesus walked on the earth and helped people see that God has already fixed their relationships with Him, and that they could ask for forgiveness of our sins and be made new. Now, because we represent Christ as we walk on the earth, we are asked to help other people see these same things, that God has already fixed their relationships with Him, that they can ask for forgiveness of their sins and be made new.
God is offering his friendship to us. It is like he has sent a friend request to every person’s MySpace or Facebook page. All people have to do is click “Accept.”
Dear God, it makes us feel so special that you would want to be friends with us! And you go to such lengths to make that happen. You have already done all the work necessary. You sent Jesus to teach us who you are and to carry the weight of our sins for us. All we have to do is accept your friendship. Thank you for being our friend. Teach us how to help other people accept your friendship. Help us be good representatives of Jesus. Amen.
16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!* Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. 21How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.
[*burgeons means to blossom or grow]
God’s desire is that we would all be made right and be in a relationship with Him. God wants to be our friend. That is why he sent Jesus. God let Jesus carry all our wrongs so that we would not have to and we could be made right.
As followers of Jesus, we are supposed to continue his work in the world. Once Jesus walked on the earth and helped people see that God has already fixed their relationships with Him, and that they could ask for forgiveness of our sins and be made new. Now, because we represent Christ as we walk on the earth, we are asked to help other people see these same things, that God has already fixed their relationships with Him, that they can ask for forgiveness of their sins and be made new.
God is offering his friendship to us. It is like he has sent a friend request to every person’s MySpace or Facebook page. All people have to do is click “Accept.”
Dear God, it makes us feel so special that you would want to be friends with us! And you go to such lengths to make that happen. You have already done all the work necessary. You sent Jesus to teach us who you are and to carry the weight of our sins for us. All we have to do is accept your friendship. Thank you for being our friend. Teach us how to help other people accept your friendship. Help us be good representatives of Jesus. Amen.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Luke 15 (The Message)
The Story of the Lost Sheep
1-3By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends." Their grumbling triggered this story.
4-7"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
The Story of the Lost Coin
8-10"Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."
The Story of the Lost Son
11-12Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'
12-16"So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.
17-20"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father.
20-21"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'
22-24"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.
25-27"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.'
28-30"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'
31-32"His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"
Have you ever been lost? Really lost? Maybe it was while driving in an unfamiliar place or hiking in the woods. When you were a kid did you get separated from your mom in Wal-Mart? Do you know that feeling? It is a feeling of emptiness that sort of tears at your stomach. It is a sense of hopelessness that causes you to think that you will be forever separated from everything that is familiar and good.
Often times this feeling can be used to describe our spiritual lives. We may find that our “journey” has led us to a place that is unfamiliar or disconnected. It is as if we have somehow taken a wrong turn and found ourselves on a gravel road with no streetlights and absolutely no sign of life. We are lost. We are just like the lonely sheep, the misplaced coin, or perhaps the son who chose to wander off course. No matter how we get to that place of disorientation there is always a road home. There is always hope.
Where are you?
How did you get there?
Where do you want to be?
Are you hiding?
Are you willing to be found?
The Story of the Lost Sheep
1-3By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends." Their grumbling triggered this story.
4-7"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
The Story of the Lost Coin
8-10"Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."
The Story of the Lost Son
11-12Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'
12-16"So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.
17-20"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father.
20-21"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'
22-24"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.
25-27"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.'
28-30"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'
31-32"His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"
Have you ever been lost? Really lost? Maybe it was while driving in an unfamiliar place or hiking in the woods. When you were a kid did you get separated from your mom in Wal-Mart? Do you know that feeling? It is a feeling of emptiness that sort of tears at your stomach. It is a sense of hopelessness that causes you to think that you will be forever separated from everything that is familiar and good.
Often times this feeling can be used to describe our spiritual lives. We may find that our “journey” has led us to a place that is unfamiliar or disconnected. It is as if we have somehow taken a wrong turn and found ourselves on a gravel road with no streetlights and absolutely no sign of life. We are lost. We are just like the lonely sheep, the misplaced coin, or perhaps the son who chose to wander off course. No matter how we get to that place of disorientation there is always a road home. There is always hope.
Where are you?
How did you get there?
Where do you want to be?
Are you hiding?
Are you willing to be found?
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Psalm 32 (TNIV)
Of David. A maskil.
1 Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed are those
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD."
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds those who trust in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Have you ever done something wrong and then tried to keep it a secret? How did that make you feel?
In Psalm 32 David writes about how he felt when he kept his sins a secret. He says that when he was silent, his bones were wasting away and he did not have any strength. Has the guilt of your sins ever made you physically sick?
David tells us though that when he confessed his sins to God, they were forgiven. God took away the guilt he felt. Now David is blessed because God does not count his sin against him.
During the period of Lent we often reflect on the sins we have committed. This is because we are focusing on Jesus going to the cross and we remember that our sins are forgiven through his death there.
Do you have any sins that you need to confess to God? He will ALWAYS forgive them and take away your guilt. God has unfailing love and he wants you to know it.
If you have confessed your sins to God, follow the advice of verse 11: Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Pick your favorite praise song or hymn and sing it now to God.
Of David. A maskil.
1 Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed are those
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD."
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds those who trust in him.
11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Have you ever done something wrong and then tried to keep it a secret? How did that make you feel?
In Psalm 32 David writes about how he felt when he kept his sins a secret. He says that when he was silent, his bones were wasting away and he did not have any strength. Has the guilt of your sins ever made you physically sick?
David tells us though that when he confessed his sins to God, they were forgiven. God took away the guilt he felt. Now David is blessed because God does not count his sin against him.
During the period of Lent we often reflect on the sins we have committed. This is because we are focusing on Jesus going to the cross and we remember that our sins are forgiven through his death there.
Do you have any sins that you need to confess to God? He will ALWAYS forgive them and take away your guilt. God has unfailing love and he wants you to know it.
If you have confessed your sins to God, follow the advice of verse 11: Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Pick your favorite praise song or hymn and sing it now to God.
Friday, March 16, 2007
John 8:48-58 (The Message)
I Am Who I Am
48The Jews then said, "That clinches it. We were right all along when we called you a Samaritan and said you were crazy—demon-possessed!"
49-51Jesus said, "I'm not crazy. I simply honor my Father, while you dishonor me. I am not trying to get anything for myself. God intends something gloriously grand here and is making the decisions that will bring it about. I say this with absolute confidence. If you practice what I'm telling you, you'll never have to look death in the face."
52-53At this point the Jews said, "Now we know you're crazy. Abraham died. The prophets died. And you show up saying, 'If you practice what I'm telling you, you'll never have to face death, not even a taste.' Are you greater than Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you think you are!"
54-56Jesus said, "If I turned the spotlight on myself, it wouldn't amount to anything. But my Father, the same One you say is your Father, put me here at this time and place of splendor. You haven't recognized him in this. But I have. If I, in false modesty, said I didn't know what was going on, I would be as much of a liar as you are. But I do know, and I am doing what he says. Abraham—your 'father'—with jubilant faith looked down the corridors of history and saw my day coming. He saw it and cheered."
57The Jews said, "You're not even fifty years old—and Abraham saw you?"
58"Believe me," said Jesus, "I am who I am long before Abraham was anything."
59That did it—pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple.
Jesus says a lot of things that confuse the people to whom he speaks. He also says a lot of things that make them mad. In this passage, Jesus says things that both confuse and anger people. Jesus has made some comments that if people follow him that will not have to face death.
We can see how this is confusing. Everyone who has ever lived, even the religious heroes like Abraham and the prophets, has died. How could people who follow Jesus not die? It must be that Jesus is talking about something spiritual, supernatural, while the people with whom he argues cannot get their minds around anything but physical stuff.
As a result, the people just assume Jesus is crazy. But what is even crazier, is Jesus’ next comment. He said Abraham saw him. This would have been very confusing for the people. They knew that Abraham had been dead for hundreds of years. How could Abraham have seen Jesus? Jesus is not even old!
Now comes the part where the people get angry. Jesus tells them “I am who I am long before Abraham was anything.” This makes the people angry because they know that by making this statement Jesus is claiming to be God. Do you remember the story of Moses and the burning bush? When Moses asks God’s name God replies “I AM WHO I AM.” The people try to kill Jesus by stoning him. They do not think anyone should claim to be God.
Jesus is eternal. There has never been a time when he did not exist. That is how Abraham could have seen Jesus and how Jesus could have existed before Abraham was born. Jesus really is God. People in his day and people today have trouble believing Jesus is who he claimed to be. They think it is easier to call him crazy.
What do you think?
I Am Who I Am
48The Jews then said, "That clinches it. We were right all along when we called you a Samaritan and said you were crazy—demon-possessed!"
49-51Jesus said, "I'm not crazy. I simply honor my Father, while you dishonor me. I am not trying to get anything for myself. God intends something gloriously grand here and is making the decisions that will bring it about. I say this with absolute confidence. If you practice what I'm telling you, you'll never have to look death in the face."
52-53At this point the Jews said, "Now we know you're crazy. Abraham died. The prophets died. And you show up saying, 'If you practice what I'm telling you, you'll never have to face death, not even a taste.' Are you greater than Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you think you are!"
54-56Jesus said, "If I turned the spotlight on myself, it wouldn't amount to anything. But my Father, the same One you say is your Father, put me here at this time and place of splendor. You haven't recognized him in this. But I have. If I, in false modesty, said I didn't know what was going on, I would be as much of a liar as you are. But I do know, and I am doing what he says. Abraham—your 'father'—with jubilant faith looked down the corridors of history and saw my day coming. He saw it and cheered."
57The Jews said, "You're not even fifty years old—and Abraham saw you?"
58"Believe me," said Jesus, "I am who I am long before Abraham was anything."
59That did it—pushed them over the edge. They picked up rocks to throw at him. But Jesus slipped away, getting out of the Temple.
Jesus says a lot of things that confuse the people to whom he speaks. He also says a lot of things that make them mad. In this passage, Jesus says things that both confuse and anger people. Jesus has made some comments that if people follow him that will not have to face death.
We can see how this is confusing. Everyone who has ever lived, even the religious heroes like Abraham and the prophets, has died. How could people who follow Jesus not die? It must be that Jesus is talking about something spiritual, supernatural, while the people with whom he argues cannot get their minds around anything but physical stuff.
As a result, the people just assume Jesus is crazy. But what is even crazier, is Jesus’ next comment. He said Abraham saw him. This would have been very confusing for the people. They knew that Abraham had been dead for hundreds of years. How could Abraham have seen Jesus? Jesus is not even old!
Now comes the part where the people get angry. Jesus tells them “I am who I am long before Abraham was anything.” This makes the people angry because they know that by making this statement Jesus is claiming to be God. Do you remember the story of Moses and the burning bush? When Moses asks God’s name God replies “I AM WHO I AM.” The people try to kill Jesus by stoning him. They do not think anyone should claim to be God.
Jesus is eternal. There has never been a time when he did not exist. That is how Abraham could have seen Jesus and how Jesus could have existed before Abraham was born. Jesus really is God. People in his day and people today have trouble believing Jesus is who he claimed to be. They think it is easier to call him crazy.
What do you think?
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
John 6:30-40 (The Message)
The Bread of Life
30-31They waffled: "Why don't you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what's going on? When we see what's up, we'll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
32-33Jesus responded, "The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world."
34They jumped at that: "Master, give us this bread, now and forever!"
35-38Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don't really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
39-40"This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time."
Because of the way Jesus teaches and the miracles he does a lot of people have started to follow him around. In this passage from John, the people are asking Jesus to show them who they are. They have read about how Moses fed people in the desert with bread that came from heaven. It seems like the people are wanting Jesus to do that same sort of thing.
Jesus turns this question around. He tells the people that God, in fact, is offering them bread from heaven and that it gives life. If you heard that there was bread from heaven would you want a piece? These people did.
Imagine their confusion then, when Jesus says “I am the Bread of Life.” He did not literally mean that he was a loaf of bread and that everybody was going to get to bite into him. What he did say is that when you believe in him, or join with him, that you will not be hungry and thirsty, in a spiritual sense, ever again. It is not food and water that helps us have true life, but it is God.
Jesus tells the people he has come to do his Father’s will. And what is that will? It is to make everything right, to make people whole, and give people real, eternal life.
Do you ever feel empty?
Are you spiritually hungry or thirsty?
Ask Jesus to be the bread that keeps you full.
The Bread of Life
30-31They waffled: "Why don't you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what's going on? When we see what's up, we'll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
32-33Jesus responded, "The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world."
34They jumped at that: "Master, give us this bread, now and forever!"
35-38Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don't really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.
39-40"This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole. This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time."
Because of the way Jesus teaches and the miracles he does a lot of people have started to follow him around. In this passage from John, the people are asking Jesus to show them who they are. They have read about how Moses fed people in the desert with bread that came from heaven. It seems like the people are wanting Jesus to do that same sort of thing.
Jesus turns this question around. He tells the people that God, in fact, is offering them bread from heaven and that it gives life. If you heard that there was bread from heaven would you want a piece? These people did.
Imagine their confusion then, when Jesus says “I am the Bread of Life.” He did not literally mean that he was a loaf of bread and that everybody was going to get to bite into him. What he did say is that when you believe in him, or join with him, that you will not be hungry and thirsty, in a spiritual sense, ever again. It is not food and water that helps us have true life, but it is God.
Jesus tells the people he has come to do his Father’s will. And what is that will? It is to make everything right, to make people whole, and give people real, eternal life.
Do you ever feel empty?
Are you spiritually hungry or thirsty?
Ask Jesus to be the bread that keeps you full.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
John 3:1-21 (The Message)
Born from Above
1-2 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it."
3Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."
4"How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above' talk?"
5-6Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.
7-8"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God."
9Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?"
10-12Jesus said, "You're a respected teacher of Israel and you don't know these basics? Listen carefully. I'm speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don't believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can't see, the things of God?
13-15"No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.
16-18"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
19-21"This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."
Nicodemus was a religious teacher who had a lot of questions for Jesus. He must not have wanted other people to know about his questions, though, because he visited Jesus late at night.
Nicodemus was confused because Jesus had been talking about being “born-from-above” and he did not see how it was possible for a person to be born twice. It is not like you can get back inside your mom once you have already come out.
This sounds kind of funny, but it is easy to see how a concept of being born again would be confusing to someone who had never heard the term before.
Jesus answers the questions Nicodemus asks, and then he explains how much God loves the world. This is John 3:16, probably one of the most famous verses in all the Bible.
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.”
Sometimes we forget to read what Jesus said after that. He said that God did not send his Son in order to tell everybody how bad they are. Instead he came to make everything right. What is so hard is that people like living without God, and they run away from him, rejecting him. God loves all people, but not all people love God.
Are there people in your life that you know love you a lot? God loves you that much and more. How does it make you feel to know that God loves us so much, he sent his son to live on the earth? Have you thanked God for loving you that much?
Born from Above
1-2 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it."
3Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."
4"How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above' talk?"
5-6Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.
7-8"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God."
9Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?"
10-12Jesus said, "You're a respected teacher of Israel and you don't know these basics? Listen carefully. I'm speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don't believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can't see, the things of God?
13-15"No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.
16-18"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
19-21"This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."
Nicodemus was a religious teacher who had a lot of questions for Jesus. He must not have wanted other people to know about his questions, though, because he visited Jesus late at night.
Nicodemus was confused because Jesus had been talking about being “born-from-above” and he did not see how it was possible for a person to be born twice. It is not like you can get back inside your mom once you have already come out.
This sounds kind of funny, but it is easy to see how a concept of being born again would be confusing to someone who had never heard the term before.
Jesus answers the questions Nicodemus asks, and then he explains how much God loves the world. This is John 3:16, probably one of the most famous verses in all the Bible.
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.”
Sometimes we forget to read what Jesus said after that. He said that God did not send his Son in order to tell everybody how bad they are. Instead he came to make everything right. What is so hard is that people like living without God, and they run away from him, rejecting him. God loves all people, but not all people love God.
Are there people in your life that you know love you a lot? God loves you that much and more. How does it make you feel to know that God loves us so much, he sent his son to live on the earth? Have you thanked God for loving you that much?
Monday, March 12, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 (The Message)
1-5Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God's fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God's wonder and grace didn't seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased.
6-10The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did. And we must not turn our religion into a circus as they did—"First the people partied, then they threw a dance." We must not be sexually promiscuous—they paid for that, remember, with 23,000 deaths in one day! We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him; they tried it, and God launched an epidemic of poisonous snakes. We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them.
11-12These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.
13No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.
Paul, a follower of Jesus, wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians to the people who went to the church in Corinth. In this passage Paul reminds the Corinthian people of how their ancestors had fallen into temptation. Falling into temptation had consequences for them. Paul’s reason for bringing this up is that he wants the Corinthians to learn from the mistakes of the past. We might sum it up this way: “You saw how our ancestors messed up. Let’s learn from what they did and be careful, or we might mess up, too.”
Have you ever learned from someone else’s mistake? What was it?
Have you ever not learned from someone else’s mistake and made the same error?
Verse 13 is a great verse for us to remember. In it, Paul tells us that we will never be tempted any more than anyone else has been. When we are tempted we should remember that God never leaves us to face temptation alone. God will always help us resist temptation.
How can verse 13 help you the next time you are tempted to do something wrong?
1-5Remember our history, friends, and be warned. All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life. They all ate and drank identical food and drink, meals provided daily by God. They drank from the Rock, God's fountain for them that stayed with them wherever they were. And the Rock was Christ. But just experiencing God's wonder and grace didn't seem to mean much—most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased.
6-10The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did. And we must not turn our religion into a circus as they did—"First the people partied, then they threw a dance." We must not be sexually promiscuous—they paid for that, remember, with 23,000 deaths in one day! We must never try to get Christ to serve us instead of us serving him; they tried it, and God launched an epidemic of poisonous snakes. We must be careful not to stir up discontent; discontent destroyed them.
11-12These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.
13No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.
Paul, a follower of Jesus, wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians to the people who went to the church in Corinth. In this passage Paul reminds the Corinthian people of how their ancestors had fallen into temptation. Falling into temptation had consequences for them. Paul’s reason for bringing this up is that he wants the Corinthians to learn from the mistakes of the past. We might sum it up this way: “You saw how our ancestors messed up. Let’s learn from what they did and be careful, or we might mess up, too.”
Have you ever learned from someone else’s mistake? What was it?
Have you ever not learned from someone else’s mistake and made the same error?
Verse 13 is a great verse for us to remember. In it, Paul tells us that we will never be tempted any more than anyone else has been. When we are tempted we should remember that God never leaves us to face temptation alone. God will always help us resist temptation.
How can verse 13 help you the next time you are tempted to do something wrong?
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Isaiah 55:1-9 (The Message)
Buy Without Money
1-5 "Hey there! All who are thirsty,
come to the water!
Are you penniless?
Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
Buy without money—everything's free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.
I set him up as a witness to the nations,
made him a prince and leader of the nations,
And now I'm doing it to you:
You'll summon nations you've never heard of,
and nations who've never heard of you
will come running to you
Because of me, your God,
because The Holy of Israel has honored you."
6-7Seek God while he's here to be found,
pray to him while he's close at hand.
Let the wicked abandon their way of life
and the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful,
come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.
8-11"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
When we go to the store to buy groceries we take our money or debit card with us. We know that we have to pay for the food we buy and we have to have food in order to live. The prophet Isaiah uses the image of food to tell us something about God. Having God in our lives is the only way we can truly live. And when we come to God, we do not have to have any money to get Him. God offers himself for free. Many of us are out spending our time and money on stuff, “junk food,” that can never satisfy us. We spend our money buying junk food, when God offers us his best for free.
Do you ever waste your time/money on junk that does not satisfy?
What kind of junk?
Will it be hard to give up junk and seek God instead?
What can you do to seek God?
Buy Without Money
1-5 "Hey there! All who are thirsty,
come to the water!
Are you penniless?
Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
Buy without money—everything's free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.
I set him up as a witness to the nations,
made him a prince and leader of the nations,
And now I'm doing it to you:
You'll summon nations you've never heard of,
and nations who've never heard of you
will come running to you
Because of me, your God,
because The Holy of Israel has honored you."
6-7Seek God while he's here to be found,
pray to him while he's close at hand.
Let the wicked abandon their way of life
and the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful,
come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.
8-11"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
When we go to the store to buy groceries we take our money or debit card with us. We know that we have to pay for the food we buy and we have to have food in order to live. The prophet Isaiah uses the image of food to tell us something about God. Having God in our lives is the only way we can truly live. And when we come to God, we do not have to have any money to get Him. God offers himself for free. Many of us are out spending our time and money on stuff, “junk food,” that can never satisfy us. We spend our money buying junk food, when God offers us his best for free.
Do you ever waste your time/money on junk that does not satisfy?
What kind of junk?
Will it be hard to give up junk and seek God instead?
What can you do to seek God?
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Luke 13:1-9 (The Message)
Unless You Turn to God
1-5About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, "Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die. And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die."
6-7Then he told them a story: "A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any. He said to his gardener, 'What's going on here? For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?'
8-9"The gardener said, 'Let's give it another year. I'll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn't, then chop it down.'"
Many people in Jesus’ day believed that people suffered as a result of the sins they had committed. Some people came to Jesus and told him about the Jewish people from Galilee that, while at worship, had been murdered by the Romans. Those people reporting to Jesus must have assumed the murdered Galileans were bad sinners. Jesus does not agree. He says they are not worse sinners. He also sites another incident where a tower fell on eighteen people. The sins of the people did not make the tower fall. Jesus is saying that people do not die tragic deaths because of their sins. Everybody has a physical death somehow. But, if we turn to God, we will never spiritually die.
Jesus often uses trees as metaphors for people. This story is no exception. The tree that did not bear fruit for three years is like a person who does not accept God. The gardener who offers to give extra attention to the tree, to fertilize it, is Jesus who came to earth to show and tell us more about who God is. People who continue to reject God after seeing Jesus will someday be “chopped down.”
Do you know people who choose to reject Jesus? Who?
How can you help fertilize their trees? How can you show them who Jesus really is?
Pray a prayer asking God to be with the people you thought of, who reject Jesus. Ask God to help you show and tell them about Him.
Unless You Turn to God
1-5About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, "Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die. And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die."
6-7Then he told them a story: "A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any. He said to his gardener, 'What's going on here? For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?'
8-9"The gardener said, 'Let's give it another year. I'll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn't, then chop it down.'"
Many people in Jesus’ day believed that people suffered as a result of the sins they had committed. Some people came to Jesus and told him about the Jewish people from Galilee that, while at worship, had been murdered by the Romans. Those people reporting to Jesus must have assumed the murdered Galileans were bad sinners. Jesus does not agree. He says they are not worse sinners. He also sites another incident where a tower fell on eighteen people. The sins of the people did not make the tower fall. Jesus is saying that people do not die tragic deaths because of their sins. Everybody has a physical death somehow. But, if we turn to God, we will never spiritually die.
Jesus often uses trees as metaphors for people. This story is no exception. The tree that did not bear fruit for three years is like a person who does not accept God. The gardener who offers to give extra attention to the tree, to fertilize it, is Jesus who came to earth to show and tell us more about who God is. People who continue to reject God after seeing Jesus will someday be “chopped down.”
Do you know people who choose to reject Jesus? Who?
How can you help fertilize their trees? How can you show them who Jesus really is?
Pray a prayer asking God to be with the people you thought of, who reject Jesus. Ask God to help you show and tell them about Him.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Psalm 63:1-8 (TNIV)
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
[a] 1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
God, sometimes we find ourselves in deserts. Everything looks bleak and hopeless. Remind us that even in those dark days, you are enough to keep us alive, to keep us going. You are hope! When we suffer and think things couldn’t get worse, help us remember that you love us always, especially when we are discouraged. Teach us to cling to You. Amen.
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
[a] 1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
God, sometimes we find ourselves in deserts. Everything looks bleak and hopeless. Remind us that even in those dark days, you are enough to keep us alive, to keep us going. You are hope! When we suffer and think things couldn’t get worse, help us remember that you love us always, especially when we are discouraged. Teach us to cling to You. Amen.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Luke 9:18-27 (The Message)
Don't Run from Suffering
18One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, "What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?"
19They said, "John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back."
20-21He then asked, "And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?"
Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." Jesus then warned them to keep it quiet. They were to tell no one what Peter had said.
22He went on, "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive."
23-27Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I'm leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn't, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God."
sacrifice3 [ˈsӕkrifais] noun
something of value given away or up in order to gain something more important or to benefit another person (dictionary.com)
How does Jesus’ suffering and death fit the definition of sacrifice?
Jesus calls us to follow him; he is our leader. Does that mean we will also have to make sacrifices?
What might you have to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus?
Don't Run from Suffering
18One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, "What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?"
19They said, "John the Baptizer. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets from long ago has come back."
20-21He then asked, "And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?"
Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." Jesus then warned them to keep it quiet. They were to tell no one what Peter had said.
22He went on, "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive."
23-27Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I'm leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn't, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God."
sacrifice3 [ˈsӕkrifais] noun
something of value given away or up in order to gain something more important or to benefit another person (dictionary.com)
How does Jesus’ suffering and death fit the definition of sacrifice?
Jesus calls us to follow him; he is our leader. Does that mean we will also have to make sacrifices?
What might you have to sacrifice in order to follow Jesus?
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Luke 7:18-23 (The Message)
Is This What You Were Expecting?
18-19John's disciples reported back to him the news of all these events taking place. He sent two of them to the Master to ask the question, "Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting?"
20The men showed up before Jesus and said, "John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, 'Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting?'"
21-23In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: "Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard:
The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth
have God's salvation hospitality extended to them.
"Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!"
John and his disciples had been given the job of preparing people for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior. When John sends his disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting?" what they are asking Jesus is “Are you the Messiah, the Savior?”
It looks like Jesus does not give the messengers a straight answer. It seems like he does not say “yes” or “no.”
What Jesus does do is spend the next few hours healing many people. Then he gives an answer. He tells the messengers to go back and tell John what they have seen and heard. This, in fact, is Jesus’ very straight answer.
When the Messiah, the savior, (Messiah means “Christ” or “anointed”) came, there would be signs accompanying him. Blind people would be given sight, lame people would walk, lepers would be made clean, deaf people would hear, dead people would be raised. All of these things are things Jesus has done. Everything John’s messengers saw and heard confirmed that Jesus was the One.
In our scripture readings during Lent, what evidence have we seen that Jesus is unique?
What did Jesus do that amazes you?
Pray a prayer that thanks Jesus for being amazing.
Is This What You Were Expecting?
18-19John's disciples reported back to him the news of all these events taking place. He sent two of them to the Master to ask the question, "Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting?"
20The men showed up before Jesus and said, "John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, 'Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting?'"
21-23In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: "Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard:
The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth
have God's salvation hospitality extended to them.
"Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!"
John and his disciples had been given the job of preparing people for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior. When John sends his disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting?" what they are asking Jesus is “Are you the Messiah, the Savior?”
It looks like Jesus does not give the messengers a straight answer. It seems like he does not say “yes” or “no.”
What Jesus does do is spend the next few hours healing many people. Then he gives an answer. He tells the messengers to go back and tell John what they have seen and heard. This, in fact, is Jesus’ very straight answer.
When the Messiah, the savior, (Messiah means “Christ” or “anointed”) came, there would be signs accompanying him. Blind people would be given sight, lame people would walk, lepers would be made clean, deaf people would hear, dead people would be raised. All of these things are things Jesus has done. Everything John’s messengers saw and heard confirmed that Jesus was the One.
In our scripture readings during Lent, what evidence have we seen that Jesus is unique?
What did Jesus do that amazes you?
Pray a prayer that thanks Jesus for being amazing.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Luke 7:1-17 (The Message)
A Place of Holy Mystery
1-5When he finished speaking to the people, he entered Capernaum. A Roman captain there had a servant who was on his deathbed. He prized him highly and didn't want to lose him. When he heard Jesus was back, he sent leaders from the Jewish community asking him to come and heal his servant. They came to Jesus and urged him to do it, saying, "He deserves this. He loves our people. He even built our meeting place."
6-8Jesus went with them. When he was still quite far from the house, the captain sent friends to tell him, "Master, you don't have to go to all this trouble. I'm not that good a person, you know. I'd be embarrassed for you to come to my house, even embarrassed to come to you in person. Just give the order and my servant will get well. I'm a man under orders; I also give orders. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes; another, 'Come,' and he comes; my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9-10Taken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd: "I've yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works." When the messengers got back home, they found the servant up and well.
11-15Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman's only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, "Don't cry." Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, "Young man, I tell you: Get up." The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.
16-17They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, "God is back, looking to the needs of his people!" The news of Jesus spread all through the country.
We read in this passage that Jesus does two miracles. In the first part, a Roman soldier sends a request to Jesus, that Jesus would heal his servant. This is incredible because the Roman people did not usually get along with Jewish people and Jesus was Jewish. The Roman soldier not only believed Jesus could heal his servant but that Jesus could heal the servant by just giving the order, without coming all the way to his house. Jesus is amazed by the Roman soldier’s faith. The Roman soldier believes Jesus has authority even when the Jewish people are not yet sure.
In the second part of the passage Jesus meets a funeral procession. A widow’s only son had died. This was a big deal because a woman with no husband and no son had no social standing. She would probably have to become a beggar in order to survive. How does Jesus feel about this? The scripture tells us his heart broke. And so Jesus did something he should never have done. He touched to coffin. In his day, touching anything near a dead person would make you unclean and mean that you could not be around other people for several days. Even more shocking than touching the coffin, Jesus tells the dead son to get up, and he does.
Jesus was indeed doing things no one else could do. He healed people by speaking the words from across town, and he raised people from the dead. Though the people knew God was at work and worshiped him for it, they did not yet understand that Jesus was God on earth.
A Place of Holy Mystery
1-5When he finished speaking to the people, he entered Capernaum. A Roman captain there had a servant who was on his deathbed. He prized him highly and didn't want to lose him. When he heard Jesus was back, he sent leaders from the Jewish community asking him to come and heal his servant. They came to Jesus and urged him to do it, saying, "He deserves this. He loves our people. He even built our meeting place."
6-8Jesus went with them. When he was still quite far from the house, the captain sent friends to tell him, "Master, you don't have to go to all this trouble. I'm not that good a person, you know. I'd be embarrassed for you to come to my house, even embarrassed to come to you in person. Just give the order and my servant will get well. I'm a man under orders; I also give orders. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes; another, 'Come,' and he comes; my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9-10Taken aback, Jesus addressed the accompanying crowd: "I've yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how he works." When the messengers got back home, they found the servant up and well.
11-15Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman's only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, "Don't cry." Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, "Young man, I tell you: Get up." The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.
16-17They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, "God is back, looking to the needs of his people!" The news of Jesus spread all through the country.
We read in this passage that Jesus does two miracles. In the first part, a Roman soldier sends a request to Jesus, that Jesus would heal his servant. This is incredible because the Roman people did not usually get along with Jewish people and Jesus was Jewish. The Roman soldier not only believed Jesus could heal his servant but that Jesus could heal the servant by just giving the order, without coming all the way to his house. Jesus is amazed by the Roman soldier’s faith. The Roman soldier believes Jesus has authority even when the Jewish people are not yet sure.
In the second part of the passage Jesus meets a funeral procession. A widow’s only son had died. This was a big deal because a woman with no husband and no son had no social standing. She would probably have to become a beggar in order to survive. How does Jesus feel about this? The scripture tells us his heart broke. And so Jesus did something he should never have done. He touched to coffin. In his day, touching anything near a dead person would make you unclean and mean that you could not be around other people for several days. Even more shocking than touching the coffin, Jesus tells the dead son to get up, and he does.
Jesus was indeed doing things no one else could do. He healed people by speaking the words from across town, and he raised people from the dead. Though the people knew God was at work and worshiped him for it, they did not yet understand that Jesus was God on earth.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Philippians 3:16-4:1 (TNIV)
17-19 Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.
20-21But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
1 My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don't waver. Stay on track, steady in God.
It is not always easy to follow Jesus. Sometime people think that when you choose to follow Jesus you will never suffer or get hurt. That is not true. Following Jesus can be hard. It is hard because we do not always get to do what we want.
It was not easy for Jesus to go to the cross. And it is not easy to explain why God would let his son die. The way of the cross is suffering. Jesus himself told us to pick up our own crosses, our sufferings, and follow him. The good news is that Jesus’ story did not end with the cross. He was raised back to life. Someday, we too will be given eternal life, even if we have had to suffer along the way.
So, “don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.”
Is it ever hard for you to stay on track with God?
When?
What can you do to keep on God’s path?
What gives you hope along the road?
17-19 Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.
20-21But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
1 My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don't waver. Stay on track, steady in God.
It is not always easy to follow Jesus. Sometime people think that when you choose to follow Jesus you will never suffer or get hurt. That is not true. Following Jesus can be hard. It is hard because we do not always get to do what we want.
It was not easy for Jesus to go to the cross. And it is not easy to explain why God would let his son die. The way of the cross is suffering. Jesus himself told us to pick up our own crosses, our sufferings, and follow him. The good news is that Jesus’ story did not end with the cross. He was raised back to life. Someday, we too will be given eternal life, even if we have had to suffer along the way.
So, “don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.”
Is it ever hard for you to stay on track with God?
When?
What can you do to keep on God’s path?
What gives you hope along the road?
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-21 (TNIV)
God's Covenant With Abram
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward."
2 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." 4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" 9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
God made a covenant with Abram (later re-named Abraham) hundreds of years before Jesus was born. The covenant was a promise God made to Abram, that Abram’s family would grow to be more numerous than all the stars in the sky and that they would have land. And God sealed that promise. Sometimes we seal promises by shaking hands or signing our names. People in Abram’s day sealed promises by cutting up animals and walking through the pieces. Gross! But God sealed his promise to Abram that way. God, in the form of a smoking firepot and blazing torch walked through the pieces of animals Abram cut.
Jesus was part of God’s promise to Abram, because Jesus was one of Abram’s many descendants. When we put faith in Jesus we become part of his family. And then God’s promise to Abram is extended to us. God promises to bless us and be with us always.
God's Covenant With Abram
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward."
2 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." 4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But Abram said, "Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" 9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
God made a covenant with Abram (later re-named Abraham) hundreds of years before Jesus was born. The covenant was a promise God made to Abram, that Abram’s family would grow to be more numerous than all the stars in the sky and that they would have land. And God sealed that promise. Sometimes we seal promises by shaking hands or signing our names. People in Abram’s day sealed promises by cutting up animals and walking through the pieces. Gross! But God sealed his promise to Abram that way. God, in the form of a smoking firepot and blazing torch walked through the pieces of animals Abram cut.
Jesus was part of God’s promise to Abram, because Jesus was one of Abram’s many descendants. When we put faith in Jesus we become part of his family. And then God’s promise to Abram is extended to us. God promises to bless us and be with us always.
Dear God, Thank you for making a promise to Abram, to bless him and be with him. Thank you for sending Jesus and bringing us into your family. Help us to put our faith in him. Remind us that you promise to bless us in many ways and that you are always with us. We love you. Amen.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Luke 9:28-36 (The Message)
Jesus in His Glory
28-31About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah—and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem.
32-33Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, this is a great moment! Let's build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He blurted this out without thinking.
34-35While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. Then there was a voice out of the cloud: "This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him."
36When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen.
Can you imagine being Peter, John, or James on the day we just read about? They are on a mountain with Jesus, their friend, and he is praying as he usually does. But something unusual happened. Jesus’ clothes started glowing and his face changed in appearance. Then two men, Moses and Elijah, who have been dead for years are there, talking with Jesus about his work on earth! This sounds like the makings of a ghost story!
It is no wonder that Peter, John, and James are speechless. They had fallen asleep while Jesus was praying, but the glowing and the two dead men with him woke them up. Peter starts talking without really knowing what he is talking about. He wants to build memorials; he is trying to capture the moment so it does not end. It would be like you or I trying to take a picture of the scene so we do not forget it.
Other amazing things happen. A cloud covers them and they hear a voice. Then it all leaves and Jesus is standing there, alone.
This is kind of a mysterious passage. We call it “The Transfiguration.” What does it mean, that Jesus turned white on a mountain and two famous, but dead religious figures come and talk to him? What about the cloud and the voice? What about the disciples not knowing what to say and then not being able to say anything at all?
This passage reassures us that Jesus is the Son of God. The voice in the cloud is God’s voice. He says “This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him.” This is really important because in the section just before this, Luke 9:21-27, Jesus has predicted he will die. The words God speaks through the cloud tell Jesus and the disciples that this path of suffering and death is the path he has chosen for Jesus. God gives Jesus credibility by telling the disciples to listen to him. What Jesus says, even what he says about his death, is the truth.
How do you think this experience changed Peter, John, and James?
How do you think this experience made Jesus feel?
Have you ever had an experience with God that made you speechless? If so, what was it?
How did it make you feel? Were you changed?
Jesus in His Glory
28-31About eight days after saying this, he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah—and what a glorious appearance they made! They talked over his exodus, the one Jesus was about to complete in Jerusalem.
32-33Meanwhile, Peter and those with him were slumped over in sleep. When they came to, rubbing their eyes, they saw Jesus in his glory and the two men standing with him. When Moses and Elijah had left, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, this is a great moment! Let's build three memorials: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He blurted this out without thinking.
34-35While he was babbling on like this, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them. As they found themselves buried in the cloud, they became deeply aware of God. Then there was a voice out of the cloud: "This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him."
36When the sound of the voice died away, they saw Jesus there alone. They were speechless. And they continued speechless, said not one thing to anyone during those days of what they had seen.
Can you imagine being Peter, John, or James on the day we just read about? They are on a mountain with Jesus, their friend, and he is praying as he usually does. But something unusual happened. Jesus’ clothes started glowing and his face changed in appearance. Then two men, Moses and Elijah, who have been dead for years are there, talking with Jesus about his work on earth! This sounds like the makings of a ghost story!
It is no wonder that Peter, John, and James are speechless. They had fallen asleep while Jesus was praying, but the glowing and the two dead men with him woke them up. Peter starts talking without really knowing what he is talking about. He wants to build memorials; he is trying to capture the moment so it does not end. It would be like you or I trying to take a picture of the scene so we do not forget it.
Other amazing things happen. A cloud covers them and they hear a voice. Then it all leaves and Jesus is standing there, alone.
This is kind of a mysterious passage. We call it “The Transfiguration.” What does it mean, that Jesus turned white on a mountain and two famous, but dead religious figures come and talk to him? What about the cloud and the voice? What about the disciples not knowing what to say and then not being able to say anything at all?
This passage reassures us that Jesus is the Son of God. The voice in the cloud is God’s voice. He says “This is my Son, the Chosen! Listen to him.” This is really important because in the section just before this, Luke 9:21-27, Jesus has predicted he will die. The words God speaks through the cloud tell Jesus and the disciples that this path of suffering and death is the path he has chosen for Jesus. God gives Jesus credibility by telling the disciples to listen to him. What Jesus says, even what he says about his death, is the truth.
How do you think this experience changed Peter, John, and James?
How do you think this experience made Jesus feel?
Have you ever had an experience with God that made you speechless? If so, what was it?
How did it make you feel? Were you changed?
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Psalm 27 (TNIV)
Of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Which verse of this psalm do you identify with the most?
Why?
Write that verse on a note card or post-it. Put it somewhere where you will see it every day.
For centuries, Christians have used the Psalms as a prayer book. They have read and sung these poems as prayers to God. When might you pray this psalm?
Jesus also read the Psalms. Since he was a student of Jewish teachers, he probably even had them memorized. Can you imagine Jesus praying this psalm? When might he have prayed it?
Read Psalm 27 again. Make it your prayer to God today.
Of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Which verse of this psalm do you identify with the most?
Why?
Write that verse on a note card or post-it. Put it somewhere where you will see it every day.
For centuries, Christians have used the Psalms as a prayer book. They have read and sung these poems as prayers to God. When might you pray this psalm?
Jesus also read the Psalms. Since he was a student of Jewish teachers, he probably even had them memorized. Can you imagine Jesus praying this psalm? When might he have prayed it?
Read Psalm 27 again. Make it your prayer to God today.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
Luke 5:17-26 (The Message)
17One day as he [Jesus] was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him.
18-20Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins."
21That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins."
22-26Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say 'I forgive your sins,' or to say 'Get up and start walking'? Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . ." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home." Without a moment's hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!"
Why did Jesus forgive the sins of the paralyzed man? In this passage we read that Jesus was “impressed” by the “bold belief” of the man’s friends. These friends must have believed Jesus could heal their friend if they could just get him to Jesus. So they went to the trouble of carrying him on a stretcher to the house where Jesus was, carrying the man on the stretcher to the roof, tearing away part of the roof, and then lowering the man on the stretcher to the floor in front of Jesus. That was a lot of work! It was “bold belief”!
There is another word for “bold belief”. It’s faith. The friends had faith in Jesus, that’s why they were so determined to bring the paralyzed man to him. They knew Jesus could heal him. What they probably did not expect though was what Jesus did first. Jesus said to the man “Friend, I forgive your sins.”
This forgiving of sins created a stir. The religious experts who were present got upset. They knew that no one could forgive sins but God alone. It must not have occurred to them that Jesus could be God.
Jesus called them out on it. He then healed the paralyzed man. He told him to get up and walk and the man did. By this act, Jesus demonstrated his power to heal. By showing that he had this kind of healing power Jesus was also showing that he had the power to forgive sins.
The people must have been amazed. And whether or not they realized it, they were standing in God’s presence. The man Jesus healed and the people who watched it happen gave glory to God.
What would you do if you were standing in God’s presence? Would you question his identity? Or would you give him glory?
17One day as he [Jesus] was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him.
18-20Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins."
21That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins."
22-26Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say 'I forgive your sins,' or to say 'Get up and start walking'? Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . ." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home." Without a moment's hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!"
Why did Jesus forgive the sins of the paralyzed man? In this passage we read that Jesus was “impressed” by the “bold belief” of the man’s friends. These friends must have believed Jesus could heal their friend if they could just get him to Jesus. So they went to the trouble of carrying him on a stretcher to the house where Jesus was, carrying the man on the stretcher to the roof, tearing away part of the roof, and then lowering the man on the stretcher to the floor in front of Jesus. That was a lot of work! It was “bold belief”!
There is another word for “bold belief”. It’s faith. The friends had faith in Jesus, that’s why they were so determined to bring the paralyzed man to him. They knew Jesus could heal him. What they probably did not expect though was what Jesus did first. Jesus said to the man “Friend, I forgive your sins.”
This forgiving of sins created a stir. The religious experts who were present got upset. They knew that no one could forgive sins but God alone. It must not have occurred to them that Jesus could be God.
Jesus called them out on it. He then healed the paralyzed man. He told him to get up and walk and the man did. By this act, Jesus demonstrated his power to heal. By showing that he had this kind of healing power Jesus was also showing that he had the power to forgive sins.
The people must have been amazed. And whether or not they realized it, they were standing in God’s presence. The man Jesus healed and the people who watched it happen gave glory to God.
What would you do if you were standing in God’s presence? Would you question his identity? Or would you give him glory?
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Luke 4:31-44 (The Message)
31-32He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed—his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.
33-34In the meeting place that day there was a man demonically disturbed. He screamed, "Ho! What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to. You're the Holy One of God and you've come to destroy us!"
35Jesus shut him up: "Quiet! Get out of him!" The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn't hurt him.
36-37That set everyone back on their heels, whispering and wondering, "What's going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go?" Jesus was the talk of the town.
He Healed Them All
38-39He left the meeting place and went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was running a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. He stood over her, told the fever to leave—and it left. Before they knew it, she was up getting dinner for them.
40-41When the sun went down, everyone who had anyone sick with some ailment or other brought them to him. One by one he placed his hands on them and healed them. Demons left in droves, screaming, "Son of God! You're the Son of God!" But he shut them up, refusing to let them speak because they knew too much, knew him to be the Messiah.
42-44He left the next day for open country. But the crowds went looking and, when they found him, clung to him so he couldn't go on. He told them, "Don't you realize that there are yet other villages where I have to tell the Message of God's kingdom, that this is the work God sent me to do?" Meanwhile he continued preaching in the meeting places of Galilee.
We read in Luke 4: 14-30 where Jesus proclaimed he had come to “preach the Message of good news to the poor…announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free…” Now, we see that in action. Jesus sets a man free from demon possession, he heals Simon’s mother-in-law and other people with all sorts of sicknesses. Jesus had power over demons and disease.
The people liked Jesus because he taught with confidence and authority and because he was able to heal people. They did not want him to leave. When they tried to hold him back, Jesus told them he could not stay but that he must go and proclaim God’s Message in other towns as well.
Do you believe Jesus still has power today?
Have you or anyone you know ever been miraculously healed? Do you believe that could happen? Will you ask for healing?
Are you or anyone you know held captive by some sort of demon? It may not be an actual supernatural being, but it could be a demon of addiction or a bad behavior. Do you believe that Jesus can set you free from whatever binds you? Will you ask him to?
Powerful God, we read in your word about Jesus and how he could send away demons and send away sickness and disease. Help us believe what we read. Help us believe that what was true in the Bible times is still true today: that Jesus can protect us from evil and heal our bodies. We know Jesus works in line with your will, and that we do not always understand it, but help us to have faith in him and in his power to work for our good, for Your good. Thank you for loving us and for sending Jesus to set us free
31-32He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed—his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.
33-34In the meeting place that day there was a man demonically disturbed. He screamed, "Ho! What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to. You're the Holy One of God and you've come to destroy us!"
35Jesus shut him up: "Quiet! Get out of him!" The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn't hurt him.
36-37That set everyone back on their heels, whispering and wondering, "What's going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go?" Jesus was the talk of the town.
He Healed Them All
38-39He left the meeting place and went to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was running a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. He stood over her, told the fever to leave—and it left. Before they knew it, she was up getting dinner for them.
40-41When the sun went down, everyone who had anyone sick with some ailment or other brought them to him. One by one he placed his hands on them and healed them. Demons left in droves, screaming, "Son of God! You're the Son of God!" But he shut them up, refusing to let them speak because they knew too much, knew him to be the Messiah.
42-44He left the next day for open country. But the crowds went looking and, when they found him, clung to him so he couldn't go on. He told them, "Don't you realize that there are yet other villages where I have to tell the Message of God's kingdom, that this is the work God sent me to do?" Meanwhile he continued preaching in the meeting places of Galilee.
We read in Luke 4: 14-30 where Jesus proclaimed he had come to “preach the Message of good news to the poor…announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free…” Now, we see that in action. Jesus sets a man free from demon possession, he heals Simon’s mother-in-law and other people with all sorts of sicknesses. Jesus had power over demons and disease.
The people liked Jesus because he taught with confidence and authority and because he was able to heal people. They did not want him to leave. When they tried to hold him back, Jesus told them he could not stay but that he must go and proclaim God’s Message in other towns as well.
Do you believe Jesus still has power today?
Have you or anyone you know ever been miraculously healed? Do you believe that could happen? Will you ask for healing?
Are you or anyone you know held captive by some sort of demon? It may not be an actual supernatural being, but it could be a demon of addiction or a bad behavior. Do you believe that Jesus can set you free from whatever binds you? Will you ask him to?
Powerful God, we read in your word about Jesus and how he could send away demons and send away sickness and disease. Help us believe what we read. Help us believe that what was true in the Bible times is still true today: that Jesus can protect us from evil and heal our bodies. We know Jesus works in line with your will, and that we do not always understand it, but help us to have faith in him and in his power to work for our good, for Your good. Thank you for loving us and for sending Jesus to set us free
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