Go to the home page: Do You Need A Winning Game Plan For Your Life?
Matthew 14:32-15:15
Jesus knew what was coming and he knew it would be the most painful and most difficult event of his life. What did he do to prepare? He went out of the busy city to a quiet green space called Gethsemane to pray.
Do we prepare ourselves for the day with prayer? Do we gird ourselves for the daily battle by asking God to guide us each step of the way? Maybe we get down on our knees after bad things have happened to us and beg God to show us a way out. Here we learn from Jesus that we must pray before the bad things happen! While he was crying out to his Father, the disciples fell asleep. He woke them and asked that they pray with him but they fell asleep again and again. It is true for all of us that when we are tired and worn out or burned out, we are vulnerable. It is hard to hear the call of Jesus when all we want to do is sleep.
Even his dearest friends on earth were not supporting him, did not understand him and we learn from this that only God is truly dependable. You may think you have your life planned out and that you are secure with friends and family but over and over people will fail you.
So Judas comes with the temple police to have Jesus arrested. Was he arrested for making the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the crippled to walk? Well, yes. Jesus made the Jewish leaders look silly and small and they did not like it one bit. Jesus was teaching the new way to live life on earth and the Jewish leaders knew if Jesus was embraced, they would lose their positions of power.
Read the story for yourself to get the details but soon Jesus was standing in front of the Roman leader, Pilate. It was Pilate's job to give the citizens under his jurisdiction a fair hearing. Pilate could not figure out why the Jews were so angry at this man who was unlike any prisoner he had ever seen. Of course, Pilate was standing in the presence of God.
Pilate did not like the idea of sending Jesus to the cross so he tried to let him go free. Barabbas was in jail because he had started a riot and he had killed some people. He was a bad man. Pilate thought that if he gave the crowd a chance to let one prisoner go free that they would choose Jesus since Barabbas was known to be a notorious murderer. But the crowd was obsessed with stopping Jesus.
The first time God substituted his life for another person, it wasn't the beloved disciple John, it was the notorious criminal, Barabbas. If he did it for Barabbas, he'll do it for you.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Be Slow to Anger
Go to the home page: Do You Need A Winning Game Plan For Your Life?
Matthew 26:1-16; Exodus 24:1-8, Jeremiah 31:31-34
While eating in the home of his friend, Simon, a woman poured very expensive oil over Jesus. The disciples were angry because they knew they could have sold that very oil and had enough money to feed and clothe many poor people. They even said to Jesus that this woman was acting like a criminal.
Jesus had to set these men straight. They had good intentions but they did not understand that this woman was actually preparing Jesus for his burial. And just as Jesus had predicted, we might not be able to name all of the disciples but this woman stands out for her kindness. Jesus said, "You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired."
Don't judge the acts of others because you don't know their assignment. The disciples might have been jealous that this woman was able to do something that they could not do and based upon their assignment from God, she was out of line. However, it is clear she was acting out of obedience and that her act of sacrifice is to be an example for us. The only opinion that matters is Jesus' opinion and the Bible says that Jesus called what the woman did, "wonderful."
A few days later Jesus would be taken into custody. He would be beaten and hung on a cross then left to die. This woman's act was indeed preparation for the gruesome torture that would unfold.
Next in this passage we learn that the Jewish leaders were ticked off. Jesus had done for their people what they had not been able to do so they plotted to take him out; to rid themselves of this upstart itinerant preacher who was making them look bad. Judas struck a deal with the these leaders to turn Jesus over to them for cold, hard cash. Jesus is never angry at Judas because Jesus knew how the story would end. He knew that Judas was easily corrupted out for a quick buck. Sounds like all of us when we are at our worst.
Jesus and his disciples, like thousands of other Jews, made their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. The city was home to about 50,000 people and at this time of year, another 150,000 came to celebrate God's great goodness. Jesus was famous by this time among the Jews because he had been going about the area for three years doing miracles. He had made the blind to see, the lame to walk and gave clean skin to those afflicted with leprosy.
Jesus served his last passover supper to the disciples but he did not drink from the cup. He told them that he would drink with them again when he sees them next when they are all together with their heavenly father.
Jesus was putting an end to the old covenant and he was fulfilling the promise made in Jeremiah 31:31-34. This passage reads,
“Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the Lord. “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the Lord. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
We stand amazed at the love of God.
Matthew 26:1-16; Exodus 24:1-8, Jeremiah 31:31-34
While eating in the home of his friend, Simon, a woman poured very expensive oil over Jesus. The disciples were angry because they knew they could have sold that very oil and had enough money to feed and clothe many poor people. They even said to Jesus that this woman was acting like a criminal.
Jesus had to set these men straight. They had good intentions but they did not understand that this woman was actually preparing Jesus for his burial. And just as Jesus had predicted, we might not be able to name all of the disciples but this woman stands out for her kindness. Jesus said, "You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired."
Don't judge the acts of others because you don't know their assignment. The disciples might have been jealous that this woman was able to do something that they could not do and based upon their assignment from God, she was out of line. However, it is clear she was acting out of obedience and that her act of sacrifice is to be an example for us. The only opinion that matters is Jesus' opinion and the Bible says that Jesus called what the woman did, "wonderful."
A few days later Jesus would be taken into custody. He would be beaten and hung on a cross then left to die. This woman's act was indeed preparation for the gruesome torture that would unfold.
Next in this passage we learn that the Jewish leaders were ticked off. Jesus had done for their people what they had not been able to do so they plotted to take him out; to rid themselves of this upstart itinerant preacher who was making them look bad. Judas struck a deal with the these leaders to turn Jesus over to them for cold, hard cash. Jesus is never angry at Judas because Jesus knew how the story would end. He knew that Judas was easily corrupted out for a quick buck. Sounds like all of us when we are at our worst.
Jesus and his disciples, like thousands of other Jews, made their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. The city was home to about 50,000 people and at this time of year, another 150,000 came to celebrate God's great goodness. Jesus was famous by this time among the Jews because he had been going about the area for three years doing miracles. He had made the blind to see, the lame to walk and gave clean skin to those afflicted with leprosy.
Jesus served his last passover supper to the disciples but he did not drink from the cup. He told them that he would drink with them again when he sees them next when they are all together with their heavenly father.
Jesus was putting an end to the old covenant and he was fulfilling the promise made in Jeremiah 31:31-34. This passage reads,
“Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the Lord. “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the Lord. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
We stand amazed at the love of God.
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