Day 24 - Luke 11-12

We have a good God! Luke 11:9-13 bears that out clearly. What dear promises these are! Ask, seek and knock, and you will have, find and it will be opened unto you. Ask the Father for the Holy Spirit and He will give it to you! God is so good to His people.

There is another reference to the Kingdom of God here (11:20). Yesterday, we noted that one of the markers of the Kingdom was the exaltation of Jesus. Here, we see that the Kingdom is characterized by the power of God over evil. Wherever you see God triumphing over the powers of evil, there you have the Kingdom of God!

11:28 - Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Here is the road to true happiness - obey the Word of God!

Covetousness is an awful thing! 12:13 gives a good example of how ugly the covetous heart can be. This is truly something against which we should be on guard (12:15). This verse also demonstrates how short-sighted we are when we do covet things - life does not consist in the abundance of possessions! The parable that follows this teaching of Jesus should be very convicting for us all! How we need to guard against storing up things on this earth. We need to be about Kingdom work and its corresponding treasure! How much more sweet it is to be "rich toward God"!

Day 23 - Luke 9-10

This is the third time that we've read the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. Each time (Matt. 17; Mark 9) the account is preceded by the statement of Jesus that "there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God." What else can this mean other than the fact that the Transfiguration was to be somewhat of a manifestation of the Kingdom of God. With that in mind, what was it about this event that is typical of the Kingdom of God? Here is what I believe: the Kingdom of God is manifested wherever Jesus is exalted. The whole idea of the Kingdom of God can be a bit confusing because some aspects of it are understood to be future, whereas there are other aspects that are present right now! This has been described by some as the "already but not yet" understanding of the Kingdom. The "already" part is put on display in our lives when we exalt Jesus Christ by our words and by our actions. May His Kingdom come in my life and yours!

One thing that jumped out at me in these two chapters was cost of discipleship. Right off the bat, Jesus tells His disciples that He is commissioning for service to "pack lightly." This implies that the disciple of Jesus is not one who holds onto the things of this world. He lives a "trimmed-down" type of lifestyle without all of the comforts of this world. In 9:23-25, Jesus describes the life of discipleship as one that is characterized by cross-bearing and life-losing. In 9:48, Jesus tells His disciples not to aspire to "greatness" but rather to "leastness"! Jesus Himself faced the rejection of the Samaritans in 9:51-56. Then, in the closing verses of chapter 9, Jesus tells three would-be followers to count the cost and come and follow Him with singleness of heart. Even chapter 10 points to the high cost of discipleship. Jesus warns His sent ones in vs3 that they are going out as sheep in the midst of wolves. In other words, it's dangerous to follow Jesus. And in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus describes the one who would be neighbor to those around him as one who gives sacrificially to meet the needs of others (10:34-35). But, in the midst of all the talk of how much it costs to follow Jesus, reward is mentioned time and again. 9:1-2 - supernatural power was given to do the work. 9:24 - the one who loses his life for Jesus' sake, saves it! 9:48 - the least is great! 9:62 - when you follow Jesus with singleness of heart you demonstrate that you are fit for the Kingdom! 10:17-20 - there was success in the ministry of the 72 sent ones. In addition to that, their names were written in heaven! With all of these benefits and rewards, is the cost of discipleship really that high? This is why someone like Hudson Taylor could say after a lifetime of self-denying service for Christ, "I never made a sacrifice."

Day 22 - Luke 7-8

Jesus' compassion shines through in the account of His raising the son of the widow at Nain. Being a widow, this woman would have had no one else to take care her but her son. There was no Medicare in those days. After her current monies ran out, she would have had to resort to begging. This woman didn't ask Jesus for anything. He simply saw her need, was moved with compassion and showed mercy to the woman by raising her son from the dead. The result was that the people glorified God!

Jesus was a friend of sinners (7:34). That means I qualify! I meet the qualifications to have Jesus as my friend! It's not just that I am a sinner, but that I readily admit it! And as a sinner, I acknowledge my desperate need of a friend like Jesus! "Jesus! what a Friend for sinners! Jesus! Lover of my soul; Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He, my Savior, makes me whole." (J. Wilbur Chapman). In light of this, I love the parable that Jesus tells at the end of chapter 7. He who has been forgiven much, loves much!

Day 21 - Luke 5-6

The opening story of chapter 5 has always intrigued me. Did Jesus just know where the large school of fish was? Or did He sovereignly guide them to the place where the nets would be let down? Or (this is my favorite possibility!) did He simply create the fish in the nets after they were let down into the water? In the end, it really doesn't matter which explanation is true. The point is that Jesus is exalted! The pinnacle of the story is vs11, "They left everything and followed Him." This shows the supremacy of Christ above all things, and in some ways is the pattern that we must follow as well. When we come to Christ, we leave our sin, our old way of thinking, our former loves and desires, etc. This may seem like a high cost, but when we consider what we get in return (i.e. Christ), can you really call this a "sacrifice"?

I've commented before about following the pattern of Jesus in prayer. 6:12-16 tells us that before Jesus called the 12 apostles, He spent the entire night in prayer. How much more should we be dependent on our God by means of prayer before we make any decision, whether major or minor!

There are interesting "woes" in chapter 6 from Jesus. He pronounces a woe on those who are rich, full now, laugh now and when people speak well of you. Here are my thoughts on these. Rich - those who only have earthly riches will be eternally poor, therefore woe to them. Full now - those who know fullness (whether financial, physical, emotional, etc.) only in this life will spend eternity suffering in a God-less emptiness, therefore woe to them. Laugh now - those who laugh now when they should be in sorrow unto repentance will experience eternal sorrow in being separated from the only true source of lasting joy--God! Therefore, woe to them! Well-spoken of - those who only have praise from men in this life will regretfully never hear the "well-done" from God, therefore woe to them! This is a call to us to extend our point of view beyond this life and consider the life to come.

6:38 has been quite an encouragement to me in my life. No matter how much you give, you can never out-give God! What a reassuring promise!

6:46 is quite the indictment, isn't it? The point is this - if we do not do the things that He tells us, then we demonstrate that in reality He is not "Lord" of our lives. If He is not our Lord, then we are not His people. Once again, here is a warning to those who would profess to be a Christian, yet do not have the proof of their genuineness in their lives.

Day 20 - Luke 3-4

The preaching of John the Baptist was a call to repentance. Not only was it a call to repentance, but it was a call to bear fruits in keeping with repentance (3:8). The people asked what those fruits were (3:10). He then lays out a list of things for specific groups of people to do. In general terms he tells them that the fruit of repentance is generosity, integrity, meekness and contentment (3:11-14). We must be careful to note that these are not the path to repentance (i.e. salvation), but they are the path that follows repentance. They are the fruit, not the root!

Luke's genealogy of Jesus is quite different from Matthew's. Matthew started with Abraham and descended to Jesus, pointing out some interesting connections along the way (see comments here). Luke starts with Jesus and in rapid fashion ascends all the way back to Adam. Some say the reason for the difference is that Matthew was written to the Jews to present Jesus as the King of the Jews, hence the direct connection with Abraham. Whereas Luke was written to Greeks to present Jesus as the perfect man, hence the connection all the way back to Adam, the first man. Once again, I'll let you weigh in with your thoughts on these differences.

The power of Jesus over temptation lies not only in His perfection as being the Son of God, but also in the weapon that he used. It is the same weapon that we have--the Word of God (4:1-12)! The power of Jesus continues to be put on display in ways that are certainly beyond us (e.g. healing, controlling demons). One of my favorite displays of power is when the people are trying to take Jesus and cast Him off the edge of a cliff and Jesus simply passed through their midst and then went away (4:30)! If there is "instant replay" in heaven, this is one that I would love to see!

Day 19 - Luke 1-2

As we begin the Gospel of Luke, since this is one of the Synoptic Gospels as well, I will again attempt to limit my comments to that which is specific to Luke so that I don't just keep on repeating myself!

These opening chapters are familiar enough to most of us and so some comments will be things that we've all heard before, but some things jumped out at me that I hadn't noticed before, at least not in this way.

The conceptions of both John the Baptist and Jesus were miraculous, but they were miraculous in two distinct ways. Elizabeth conceived when she was both barren and past the age of child-bearing, yet she still conceived by the natural means of marital relations. Whereas Mary conceived as a virgin, and remained a virgin after conception because her child was conceived in her by the supernatural means of the Holy Spirit. "Nothing will be impossible with God" (1:37)!

Many want to elevate the virgin Mary to some sort of super-spiritual status. Truly, she was a special woman, but in many ways she was just like any of us. She struggled with fear (1:29). She needed a Savior (1:47). She had to submit to the Law of God (2:22). She indeed was "highly favored" by God (1:28), but only "the child" that would come from her would be called "holy" (1:35). Let's be careful to give respect to Mary for her willingness to be used by God, but let us be careful not to worship her. We must worship the Lord our God alone!

The declaration of the angel to the shepherds when he announced the birth of Jesus, contained three titles of Jesus that are very significant (2:11). Savior - He earned this title by giving His life on the behalf of His people. Christ - He was the anointed one! The one chosen by God the Father to redeem fallen humanity. Lord - He was God in the flesh. The Apostle Paul often used all three of these titles in referring to Jesus as "our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

The response to all of this is interesting. The shepherds run immediately to see Jesus, and then they return glorifying and praising God for what they had seen. Mary treasured up all of these things in her heart. Others wondered at what they had been told. May we, after pondering the greatness of our Lord and Savior, burst forth into proclamation of His glory to those who are around us!

The last thing that I will point out is the work of the Holy Spirit in these chapters. He filled John the Baptist from the womb (1:15). He caused the conception of Jesus within Mary (1:35). He filled Elizabeth to proclaim a blessing on Mary (1:41). He filled Zacharias enabling him to prophesy (1:67). He was on Simeon who was eagerly waiting for Messiah to come (2:25) because the Holy Spirit told him he wouldn't die until He came (2:26), and He directed him to come to the temple (2:27). The Holy Spirit of God is active in this world. May we be sensitive to His working and leading in our own lives!

Day 18 - Mark 15-16

The account of the "trial" of Jesus has an interesting foreshadowing of the future significance of the death of Christ. Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but the crowd demanded Barabbas. Barabbas was guilty of many crimes, one of which being murder (15:7). Jesus was innocent, though falsely accused. So, the one who deserved physical death was allowed to have his physical life prolonged, while the one who deserved to live was sentenced to physical death in the place of the guilty one. Likewise, we who deserve spiritual death can receive eternal life because the one, in whom was life, died in our place.

Another irony is found in 15:29. The fact is that Jesus' "temple" was being destroyed, and He would "rebuild" it in three days!

There is debate as to whether the last 12 verses of chapter 16 were part of the original Gospel of Mark. As such, we must be careful not to build any doctrinal case on things that are recorded only here and nowhere else in the Bible (for instance, the handling of snakes). However, there is a statement that has caused some controversy in 16:16 concerning the erroneous teaching of baptismal regeneration. What is interesting to note is that the mention of baptism is only in the first part of the statement regarding salvation, but is not in the second part regarding condemnation. The point is this - baptism is a necessary part of the obedience that follows salvation, but is not necessary to avoid ultimate condemnation. The key component in receiving salvation or avoiding condemnation is believing in Jesus Christ - that is what is clear not only from this passage but also from the rest of Scripture.

I would be remiss if I closed comments on the Gospel of Mark and did not make mention of the resurrection of Jesus. This doctrine is so central to the Christian faith that I cannot refrain from pointing out its significance. The resurrection of our Lord occurred on "the first day of the week" (16:2), and that is the very reason that we Christians gather together for corporate worship on the first day of the week - Sunday! In actuality, it is not only on Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, that we celebrate our resurrected Lord and Savior, but every Sunday is a celebration of the victory of Christ over sin, death, hell and the grave! I love the triumphant words of 16:6 - "He has risen; he is not here." This is the Christian hope - that because our Savior was raised from the dead, so too shall we! All glory to the risen Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Day 17 - Mark 12-14

After Jesus told the parable of the tenants, the Pharisees did have some insight. They perceived that the parable was about them (12:12). Perception isn't enough! It wasn't enough that the Pharisees understood that Jesus was talking about them in the parable. They should have responded in repentance, but instead they plotted as to how they could get Jesus arrested. The same is true with us. As we read God's Word, it is not enough for us to understand what we read. We must also act in accordance with what we understand. Without both perception and obedience, our perception does nothing but condemn us. For instance, just a few paragraphs later, Jesus taught that the greatest command was to love God with all your being and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself (12:29-31). It easy enough to understand what that is talking about, but we must also see to it that we submit ourselves to those commands in how we live our lives or else our understanding is pointless!

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus warns that "many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray" (13:6). Later, in vs22, He continues to warn about false christs and false prophets. This highlights the need for discernment among God's people. We must test all things and people according to the revealed will of God. One of those tests is when someone sets a date for the return of Christ. Jesus very plainly teaches that "concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (13:32). It is by this clear teaching that we can rightfully judge those who play around with foolish date-setting.

Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane (14:36) should be the pattern for all our praying. First, it is OK to ask the Father for the things that we desire, whether they be things that we don't have that we desire or things that are happening to us that we wish were not. Second, all our requests must be made in submission to the sovereign will of God in our lives. The reason for our submission is that God knows us and our needs far better than we do. Therefore, He is much better equipped to give us the things that we truly need to change us and mold us into people who reflect His glory. He is wise enough to know what we need and good enough to give it to us. He is also wise enough to know how much we can endure and compassionate enough to give us the grace to endure to the end! Father, not my will but Your will be done!

Peter's response to his denial of Jesus is also instructive for us. He demonstrated a godly sorrow that led to repentance. How do you react when the depth of your sin is made manifest to you? Are you filled with sorrow? Or do you simply shrug it off and go on with life? If there is sorrow in your heart, we must take care that this sorrow does not persist into despair. For what we will read in the next chapter gives us hope for forgiveness from sin. The sin over which Peter wept is the sin for which Jesus gave His life! The sin over which we should weep is not sin over which we should despair. Jesus Christ endured the judgment of that sin as He gave Himself up for us! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Day 16 - Mark 9-11

As we begin the second half of Mark, the gospel writer records the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Peter's rash words are met with the correcting words from heaven. These words from the mouth of the Father set forth the supremacy of Jesus Christ. This is something that is good for us to keep in mind. Every era has its "poster boys" as it were. The OT had its prophets (Moses, Elijah, etc.). The NT had its apostles (Peter, Paul, etc.). I could continue to list giants of the faith from the early church fathers to the reformers to the present day. While God has given His people great men through whom He has wrought mighty things, no one compares to Jesus Christ! He is supreme! We must be careful how much "stock" we put in the frail human vessels that God chooses to use in great ways.

When Jesus was talking with the man whose son was possessed by a demon, the man cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (9:24). This man had the right perspective. If anyone was going to help this man believe it was going to be Jesus Christ. Likewise, we too must come to Christ if our faith would be strengthened.

9:42-50 lays out Jesus' plan for dealing with sin in the life of a believer. His plan is one that is characterized by radical amputation! What have you done to resist sin's power in your own life? What have you amputated recently? When our desire for holiness surpasses our desires for anything else, radical things happen in order to maintain such holiness!

The rich young man in chapter 10 was the typical self-righteous Jew. He thought that he had done everything necessary to keep the Law because he had done externally and by letter what the Law demanded. In typical form, Jesus goes to the heart. He points out that this man had an idol of the heart and therefore had broken the very first of the Ten Commandments. He had a higher love and worship for his things than he had for God. We too must guard our hearts from idols and understand that true obedience to God is first of all heart obedience!

When James and John asked Jesus to sit beside Him in His glory, it caused quite a stir among the disciples (pride always does!). Jesus gave His disciples a lesson in Kingdom living. He started by pointing out that His way is not like the way of the surrounding world ("It shall not be so among you."). The world promotes the self-assured, climb-over-anyone type of people. Jesus says that the ones promoted in His Kingdom serve! They are servants and even bond-slaves. The greatest servant of all was Jesus Christ, and He is the greatest in the Kingdom!

Day 15 - Mark 7-8

Well, technically I missed a day since I'm not getting around to posting until after midnight on Day 15. I actually started this earlier today, but I got interrupted by several things that pushed this post onto the back-burner. So, due to the lateness of the hour and the fact that so much of these chapters are pretty much identical to what occurs in Matthew (and I've already commented on these sections there), this post should be a bit shorter...we'll see!

One difference from Matthew in this section is that it seems that Jesus spends a bit more time pointing out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They were so intent on keeping the letter of the Law that they worked out some "loop-holes" to actually bypass the spirit of the Law. Jesus points out rather strongly that the point is the heart. How we need to focus on our own hearts and pray that God would change our hearts to be in line with what He desires!

In the account of the healing of the deaf and mute man, I could not help but see the parallel between the that physical condition and the spiritual condition of unbelievers - they are spiritually deaf to the truth of God and spiritually mute with regard to speaking the truth of God. In both physical and spiritual maladies, Jesus has the power to open ears and loosen tongues!

Peter's roller-coaster ride is nowhere more apparent than in 8:29-33. He has just answered correctly that Jesus is Messiah--the Christ! And not 2 seconds later, seemingly, he is rebuking Jesus for saying that He will do what Messiah came to do! What a reminder of how weak we really are and how dependent we need to be on the grace of God for consistent righteous living!

Day 14 - Mark 4-6

Chapter 4 contains several "Kingdom" parables. One that was not recorded in Matthew (or Luke or John for that matter) is the parable of the growing seed (vs26-29). It reminds me of what I'm to be doing as a preacher of the Word of God. I just plant. I plant by preaching the truths of God's Word. If any "fruit" comes from the seed that I plant, it is because God caused it to take root, grow and then produce fruit. It is also a good reminder to me that it often takes time before that which is planted bears fruit. A much needed reminder to me for patience in the ministry of the Word!

In chapter 5, the account of the demon-possessed man is recounted. Once again, it is instructive for us to note that this powerful demon, Legion, could not do anything without the permission of Jesus. Also, the result of the spiritual cleansing of this man is that he went out telling others about what Jesus had done for him. This is the pattern that we should be pursuing in our own lives as well.

As I was reading the account of the resurrection of Jairus' daughter, one statement of Jesus leaped out at me - "Do not fear, only believe." What struck me was this - the opposite of fear is faith. It is impossible to be afraid and have a robust faith in God at the same time. Fear and faith are mutually exclusive. Therefore, when I'm struggling with fear, what I'm really struggling with is a lack of faith in my all-powerful, all-sovereign and all-good God!

Just one comment from chapter 6. When Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and do the work of His ministry, the content of their message was the same as the preaching of John the Baptist (1:4) and the preaching of Jesus (1:14). It was a call to repentance (6:12). Why is it that so many "preachers" today have a hard time with that content? Why do they shy away from confronting people with their sin? Isn't sin the reason for repentance? What do today's "preachers" think? Are they smarter than John the Baptist? Than Jesus' disciples? Than Jesus Himself? I, for one, am going to stick with the wisdom of Jesus and call people to repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ!

Day 13 - Mark 1-3

Today, we begin the book of Mark. This is one of the synoptic Gospels, meaning that it tells the story of Jesus from basically the same standpoint as Matthew and Luke. Therefore, we will be reading a lot of the same types of things in this book as we did in Matthew. Bearing that in mind, I'll try to limit my comments to things that I didn't point out as we went through Matthew so as to avoid redundancy. Mark is certainly a distinct book. Its character is much different that Matthew. He is much more succinct. Also, he moves from one vignette to another quite rapidly. This is pronounced by the repetition of the word "immediately." Now, let's dive in!

There is no genealogy recorded in Mark. Many commentators feel that the reason behind this is that the purpose of Mark was to present Jesus as a servant, and no one really cares about the family line of a servant. You can weigh in with your own thoughts on that one.

John the Baptist was the one to prepare the way for the Messiah. To do that, he preached a message of repentance. Certainly, it is a humble and contrite heart that is best suited to receive the Savior! And humility is just what John demonstrated. He noted that he was not worthy even to loosen the strap of Jesus' sandal (this was the job of a household servant - to remove the sandals in order to wash the feet of the master of the house).

Jesus' authority is again pointed out with regularity. His authority over demons amazes the people. What amazes, and also comforts, me is that the demons couldn't even speak without permission from Jesus (1:34)! What have I to fear?!

When the men brought the paralyzed man to Jesus in chapter 2, it says that Jesus "saw" their faith. I thought faith was something inward, invisible! This is a clue to the nature of true faith. While it is something that is within a person, it always has external results. This is why James says that he will show you his faith by his works.

Jesus' statement "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” should not be understood as a vindication of the self-righteous Pharisees. Quite the opposite! What Jesus is really saying here is that those who "think" that they are well will never go seek out help from a physician. It is only those who "know" they are sick that end up going to the doctor. The point is this - you must come to grips with the fact that you are a sick sinner in order to come in humble repentance to the only One who can heal your soul.

In chapter three, you really get the impression that the Pharisees feel threatened by Jesus. Why else would they plot to destroy someone who is doing so much good?! At the end, there are words of comfort for us. When we do the will of God, we prove to be the brothers of Jesus. We bear the family resemblance, and we will be partakers of the inheritance! Praise to God our Father!

Day 12 - Matthew 27-28

Well, we've come to the end of the Gospel of Matthew. Chapter 27 is a very long chapter with many things to meditate on and learn from. I'll point out just a few things. Feel free to add your insights and comments as well.

The "spiritual" leaders of Israel continue in their hypocrisy. After Judas feels remorse for his act of treachery, he tries to return the money he was paid to betray Jesus. The chief priests and elders refuse to take back the money by kind of brushing him off. Judas throws the money down at their feet and then goes and hangs himself. So, what do they do? Of course, they can't put the money into the temple treasury! That would be wrong! Strange how they had no qualms about paying the "blood money" to Judas, but they somehow couldn't receive that same money into the "holy" treasury. Their hypocritical self-righteousness continues to dominate their lives!

Verses 24-25 contain some interesting ironies. First, Pilate, having failed to persuade the people to have him release Jesus, decides to "wash his hands" of the whole thing. Of course, that is impossible for him to do, for he is the one "in charge" of this whole thing. The mere washing of water does nothing to absolve him of this travesty that is taking place. Further, the outward washing of hands is not what Pilate needed most. He needed his heart washed inwardly. Second, the people's statement "His blood be on us and on our children!" is in one sense quite chilling. On the other hand, isn't that exactly what they need? Do they not need to have His blood on them in an atoning sense?

Verse 51 has long been a favorite verse of mine. The curtain of the temple, the one that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, is torn in two from the top to the bottom. Obviously, this is an act of God. But what does it symbolize? It symbolizes the end of the Old Covenant era. The end of the need for a physical temple. The end of the Levitical priesthood. The reason that this ended was that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross satisfied once and for all the wrath of God against sin. Therefore, the temple sacrifices were no longer necessary. Jesus is now the one mediator between God and men, therefore the priests are no longer necessary. O, the blessings of being a child of God in the New Covenant era!

Chapter 28 closes the book with the victorious resurrection of Jesus and the Great Commission. I love this part of the story because it demonstrates the awesome power of Jesus Christ and because it give me the hope of my future resurrection. Something stood out to me this time around that I thought was significant. When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, He told them to go tell His "brothers" to go to Galilee. Not His "servants." Not even His "disciples" or "followers," but His "brothers"! What a privilege to be a child of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ.

Jesus' last words lay out for us the mission of His church - to make disciples and to see to it that they know and do what Jesus had taught. By God's grace and with His power and for His glory may we be faithful disciple-makers until we die or He returns!

Day 11 - Matthew 25-26

Chapter 25 completes the Olivet Discourse of our Lord. In this section, Jesus gives two parables and one explanation of the final judgment. The first parable tells the story of 5 wise virgins and 5 foolish virgins. The wise have oil, but the foolish do not. The wise are accepted, but the foolish are rejected. What is going on here? It is not immediately clear, but here is what strikes me about this parable. Throughout the Scriptures, oil is consistently a picture of the Holy Spirit. If that imagery is used here, then the wise virgins are those who not only have the Spirit, but are walking in the Spirit. In other words, they are exhibiting readiness because they are bearing fruit of the Spirit's indwelling. The foolish are not just unready, they are fully and finally excluded. This is a serious warning. In effect, Jesus is saying be ready by not only having the Spirit but by living in the Spirit. The second parable is similar in that there are again two groups of people involved - true children of God and mere professors. The first group is faithful with what their master has entrusted to them (side note - a "talent" is not an "ability" as we understand the word, but rather it is a monetary unit of significant value). The second group is not faithful. The result of faithfulness is a welcomed entrance into the "joy" of the master. The result of unfaithfulness is eternal damnation. This is not teaching that we can work our way into favor with God. What it is teaching is that true believers are faithful and mere professor are not! The last paragraph of explanation gives a final characteristic of true believers - they serve others and so prove to be sheep. Goats do not serve others and so prove to be the goats that they are. Once again the true believers are welcomed into the Kingdom, and the mere professors are cast out into eternal damnation. As with the parable of the talents, the serving is not the path to salvation, but is one of the steps along the path that follows salvation. So, a true believer is characterized by walking in the Spirit, faithfulness and serving. If these do not characterize your life, then examine yourself to see if you truly are "in the faith."

Chapter 26 transitions back to the narrative of the final days of our Lord. There is so much in this chapter that is significant, but I will limit myself to a few observations.

The death of Jesus Christ occurred within 24 hours of the feast of the Passover. The Passover feast was a memorial feast to remind the Jews of their deliverance from slavery in the land of Egypt (Ex. 12). The Passover ritual included the slaying of a lamb that was without blemish, applying its blood to the doorposts of the house so that the angel from God would "pass over" that house and not require the blood of the firstborn. So, just hours after Jesus observed that memorial feast, He, the spotless Lamb of God, was slain so that His blood could be applied to my sin so that God would pass over me and not judge me for my sin! What a wonderful Savior!

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (26:41). How vividly this is displayed in the life of Peter! Shortly after declaring his loyalty to Christ to the death (vs35), he cannot even stay awake as Jesus prayed in the garden. Then, shortly after being ready to lop off the head of the servant of the High Priest in defense of Jesus, he will not even stand up to the accusation of servant girl that he even was associated with Jesus at all. How often do we find ourselves on that same roller-coaster! I am so glad that we have a patient, forgiving, gracious God and Savior!

The restraint of Jesus throughout His betrayal and "trial" is amazing. After a life of exhibiting incredible power and control over so many varied circumstances, He lays aside any right to exercise this power and submits to the sovereign plan of the Father and allows Himself to be arrested, illegally tried and unjustly convicted. As I read these verses (vs53, 68), I want Jesus to call down the legions of angels to conquer these weak men. I want Jesus to prophesy the names of the ones who were beating them. He could have! But He didn't. He didn't so that He would be unjustly convicted and subsequently put to death so that I might be able to taste the sweetness of forgiveness; so that I might enjoy the undeserved position of a son of God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ; so that I might revel in the glory of God for all eternity! How thankful I am for His restraint so that I might enjoy all the benefits of His salvation!

Day 10 - Matthew 23-24

If you ever thought that Jesus was only gentle and kind, then you never read these chapters! We've seen Jesus get quite firm and pointed with the Pharisees, but nothing compares to the scathing rebuke that Jesus levels at them in chapter 23! He chastises them for their pride, their hypocrisy, their detrimental teaching of others, and their magnifying of minutia yet ignoring the weighty true religion. In all of this Jesus is basically exposing the Pharisees for what they really are - self-righteous hypocrites! This stern rebuke that Jesus gives the Pharisees should drive us to some serious self-examination. Why do we do what we do? Are we pursuing "right" living merely to look good in front of others? Do we magnify trifling things to neglect of the main things? Who are we leading astray by our poor example? Are we truly righteous or merely self-righteous? If we find ourselves lacking in any of these areas, repentance is certainly in order!

Chapter 24 begins what is commonly called the "Olivet Discourse." It is Jesus' own look toward the end of time. While there is much debate about the particulars of this teaching of Jesus, there are some general principles that are helpful to take from these verses. First, Jesus knows how everything will end, therefore, we need not fear what is coming. He not only knows how things end up, but He is also sovereignly governing all things as they come to pass! Second, difficult times for God's people will come. Don't be surprised by persecution! Jesus said it would come. Third, no one knows exactly when these things will happen. So, beware of date-setters! The point of our not knowing is to promote the readiness of God's people. So, learn from this teaching! You could summarize this chapter with these three commands: Beware! Be calm! Be ready! By God's grace, we can do all three!

Day 9 - Matthew 21-22

What an amazing two chapters focusing on the glory and wisdom of Christ!

Jesus is preparing to meet death, but there are a few things left for Him to accomplish. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was one of them. It struck me as I read vs6 that this is just what disciples are supposed to do - exactly what their Lord tells them to do! It also hit me that there is a crowd cheering on Palm Sunday, and yet by the end of the week another crowd will be shouting; not to praise the Savior, but to call for His death! How quickly things can change!

In these chapters, once again, there are warnings to those who would merely profess to be Christians. The parable of the two sons (21:28-32) demonstrates that it is not what a person says, but what he does that determines his obedience. The parable of the tenants (21:33-41) shows that the kingdom is for those who render to the Lord His fruit (vs41). Finally, the parable of the wedding feast (22:14) highlights the fact that you must not just respond to the call to the feast, but you must have the accompanying works in order to be accepted at the table (vs11-13 - the wedding garment is a picture of the righteous works that accompany true regeneration!).

The other big thing that seemed to keep coming up was the brilliant ways that Jesus would answer those who were questioning Him. He answers questions with questions (21:28-32). He silences His questioners with astounding logic (22:15-22). He points out the ignorance of His questioners by using incredible inferences from the Scriptures (22:29-33). His answers take the people completely by surprise (22:34-40 - no doubt the man was expecting Jesus to refer to one of the 10 Commandments). And then, while the people who were trying to trip Him up are still hanging around, He asks them His own question for which they have no answer (22:41-46 - this, by the way, is a wonderful testimony to the Deity of Jesus). This rightfully silences the Pharisees (22:46). How masterful He was in dealing with such hypocritical questioners! Thought: Have you ever questioned the reasoning of God as contained in the Scriptures? Keep reading them and you will be corrected and silenced as well!

In answering His critics, Jesus made some incredibly significant statements. None are quite as powerful as His words in 22:37-40. Let's take this teaching to heart and strive by God's grace to love God and love people and in so doing fulfill the Law and the Prophets!

Day 8 - Matthew 19-20

Chapter 19 opens with a wonderful display of the patience of Jesus. Here He is ministering to people by healing them and the Pharisees barge in with their question about divorce. Instead of becoming angry with them, He uses this as a teaching opportunity. He lays out the case for the durability of marriage. Why is it that people always ask the wrong question? They ask when is it "OK" to get a divorce when they should be asking what they should do to keep their marriage from dissolving. I read a quote recently by an author stating that since the husband and wife union is pictured using the head and body metaphor (Eph. 5:23), then any separating is not a mere dissolution of a corporation or a break up of a relationship, but rather it is a gruesome decapitation. O, that we as Christians would have this view of the marriage union!

As I write this blog post, my wife and I find ourselves in the midst of searching for a home to purchase in the So Cal area. It is times like these that we wish that we had a bit more money so that our options wouldn't be so narrow. However, it is verses like these (19:16-30) that remind me of some of the blessings of not being "rich," at least in this culture's estimation. What a blessing it is to have everything we truly need in Christ!

Chapter 20 reminds us of the righteous rewards that come from the Father and warns us against questioning His "fairness." Which reminds me, we really don't want what is fair, do we? May we never ask God to give us what we "deserve." I know I don't want God to be fair with me and give me what I deserve! I want grace! I want mercy and loving kindness!

Pride is a dangerous thing, isn't it? It is also a divisive thing as demonstrated in 20:20-24. What business do we have jockeying for position in the Kingdom when we should be busy serving? When will we "get it" that the way up in the Kingdom is down? Let us follow the example of our Savior and humble ourselves and in love serve one another! This example is what follows (vs29-33) as Jesus has compassion on the social outcasts. He could have simply said the words, "Let your eyes be opened!", but instead He went near them and touched these filthy wretches. Let us do the same. Let us go to those that others shun and get dirty and serve them in the love of the Savior!

Day 7 - Matthew 16-18

I was impressed in chapter 16 with the necessity of Divine illumination. The Pharisees didn't have it. The disciples showed time and time again that they needed it, and needed more of it again. Peter demonstrated that he had it, but only for a brief time. I am so thankful that we live in an era where we have the continual indwelling of the illuminating Spirit of God! Even so, how many times are we like Peter and move so quickly from what God has shown us to our own earthly, fleshly wisdom? Constant dependence on the Spirit is what our thinking needs!

The end of chapter 16 (vs.24-26) was a good reminder to me of the demands that discipleship brings. There are crosses to bear, but the rewards that await those that do take up those crosses and give their lives for Christ far outweigh the sacrifice. With that in mind, can you really call these "sacrifices" sacrifices?

The account of Jesus' healing the boy with a demon takes a bit of a twist from earlier accounts of healing. By this point in Matthew we are getting used to seeing the connection between the great works of Christ and the faith of the one coming to be healed. Here the necessity of faith is seen again, but this time it is what is needed for someone to do great things in the Name of God. The disciples could not cast out the demon because they did not have faith (17:17).

Just a few comments about chapter 18. Vs7-9 give us the serious call to radical amputation that is necessary for lasting victory in the Christian life. Vs15-20 details the church restoration process that unfortunately is not practiced by many so-called churches today. Interesting to note that vs20, that so many quote with regard to small church gatherings, comes up in this context where God's presence in the midst of two or three gathered believers is for the purpose of confirming the condemnation of the unrepentant so-called Christian. Hmmmm...makes you wonder why so many people use this verse as a means of comfort.

The final parable in chapter 18 is probably my all-time favorite. Not because of the tragic ending, but because of the picture of myself that I see there. I am the one who owed 10,000 talents (an unimaginable sum!), and yet I am forgiven! How much more, then, should I be a forgiving person seeing how much I have been forgiven! What a good God we have!

Day 6 - Matthew 14-15

These chapters continue many of the themes that we've already seen in the book of Matthew thus far: the power of Jesus to heal all kinds of sickness and disease (14:35-36; 15:28-31), the connection between faith and the mighty working of Jesus (15:28), the power of Jesus over nature (this time evidenced by not just calming the storm but actually walking on the sea (14:25)! and twice using a small about of food to feed thousands of people (14:13-21; 15:32-39)) and the importance of the heart over mere external religion (15:1-20).

Those are general observations, but consider a few specific things noted in these chapters. People are starting to get it. They get the fact that Jesus is the Son of God (14:32) based on the great works that He is doing. They get the fact that Jesus has the power to heal. That's why when they find out where He is, they bring the sick to Him. But beyond that, they get the fact that He is healing by means of Divine power. This is why they glorify God for the healing of Jesus (15:31). The Pharisees still don't get it. They keep pestering Jesus with trifling things, and Jesus continues to point out their hypocrisy and mere external religion. Even though the disciples begin to get it, they still fall short. Think this through. Jesus just fed over 5,000 people with 5 loaves and two fish. A short time later, there is more food (7 loaves and a few fish) and fewer people (just over 4,000), and yet they still seem confused about how to solve this problem!

For us, let us always remember that the Divine power that Jesus exhibited is the same power that is at work in us today. Let us always remember the primacy of the heart. Let us consistently turn away from mere externalism. Finally, let us always approach our God and Savior in faith and expectation for Him to continue to do mighty acts among us!

Day 5 - Matthew 12-13

The glory of Jesus Christ continues to be displayed, but there is a bit of a shift. The shift is from the glory of Christ displayed in His works to its display in His words. In His teaching on the significance of the Sabbath (ch. 12), He corrects the wrong thinking of the Pharisees who were so hypocritical in their observance and enforcement of the details of the Law of God. Jesus points out that it is the heart that God is after, not mere externalism! This is highlighted by the use of Hosea 6:6 for the second time (cf. 9:13). God wants our loving loyalty to Him, not just external ritual.

Jesus' teaching continues in chapter 13, but there is a shift to teaching regarding the Kingdom of Heaven. Here are some observations concerning the Kingdom. Its members are fruit-bearing (13:23), genuine (13:30) and righteous (13:49). It has a small start, but its impact is far-reaching (13:31-33). It is a treasure to be desired above all else (13:44-45). In this teaching, it is impossible to miss the warning to those who merely profess to be members of the Kingdom. Jesus Himself predicted that there would be impostors. There are those that might even seem to give signs of life (13:20-22), but the end of these mere professors is damnation (13:42,50). I guess this flies in the face of those who claim that Jesus was all love and no judgment! This is a good time to examine ourselves to see if there is evidence of true life within us that is producing external fruit!

The last verse of chapter 13 is quite an indictment! Let us be a people of faith and see what mighty works God will do among us!

Day 4 - Matthew 10-11

When Jesus sent out His disciples, He sent them to do exactly what He had been doing. The list of things mentioned in 10:7-8 are identical to what is recorded of Jesus in chapters 4-9. His disciples saw Jesus "in action" and were called to imitate Him. The warning is somber, but certainly warranted. The things that awaited the disciples would be difficult, but in the face of that warning, Jesus reassures His apostles not to fear. He pointed them to the ever-watching care of the Father. This is a familiar theme we see played out time and again in the Scriptures and throughout the rest of history. God calls people to go and represent Him before people. Those who are sent are persecuted, yet God continues to watch over them and either deliver them miraculously or sustain them by infinite grace in just as miraculous fashion! What makes us think that it will be any different with us?!

In chapter 11, Jesus pronounces a woe to the unrepentant cities. These were places where Jesus had done incredible things, attesting His identification as Messiah, and yet they did not respond in repentance. Certainly, when such holy power is on display, repentance is in order. We should take care that such a lack of repentance is not present in our own hearts, for we have, as Peter says, a more sure word of prophecy in the record of the Scriptures that should call us to a lifestyle that is marked by repentance. I love the statement I heard years ago, "It's not just once saved always saved, but more than that it's once regenerated always repenting!"

I love the way chapter 11 closes - the invitation of Jesus to come to Him and find rest for our souls! To borrow from Jim Berg, the only way to quiet the noise that is in our souls is to come to Jesus. He is the source of true rest! Let's come to Him, not just once by faith for initial salvation, but continually for the rest and refreshment that our souls so desperately need!

Day 3 - Matthew 8-9

Here are a few big ideas that jumped out at me as well as a couple of questions.

The Power of Jesus. Over physical maladies - leprosy, paralyzation (twice!), fever, discharge of blood, death, blindness and other unnamed sicknesses. Over nature - calming the storm. Over spiritual needs - casting out demons on two separate occasions and forgiving the sins of the paralytic.

The Negative Reactions to Jesus of Some. The people asking Jesus to leave their region, the scribes who thought Jesus was blaspheming by saying He could forgive sins, the Pharisees complaining about Jesus' eating with sinners, the questioning of the Pharisees about why Jesus' disciples did not fast, the people scoffing at Jesus when He said that the young girl was only sleeping and the Pharisees charge that Jesus was casting out demons by the prince of demons.

The Faith of Others. The leper's faith is not specifically mentioned, yet why would they have come to Jesus if they didn't believe that He could help them?! The Centurion's incredible faith that all Jesus had to do was speak a word and his servant would be healed. The faith of the people carrying the paralytic. The faith of Matthew is demonstrated in that he left his tax booth and followed Jesus. The amazing faith of the woman with a discharge of blood in that she thought all she had to do was just get close to Jesus and there would be healing. The blind men were healed because of their faith.

A Favorite Verse. 8:11 is a favorite verse of mine because I see myself in the verse. I am not a physical child of Abraham and Isaac, but because I have put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, I have a spot at the table in heaven! I love it when I can see myself specifically mentioned in the Scriptures!

A Couple of Questions. Why did the people ask Jesus to leave their region after casting out the demon? Why did Jesus tell the blind men that He healed not to tell others about what He did for them?

I'll close this post by obeying Jesus, and pray that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers into His harvest!

Day 2 - Matthew 5-7

How can one summarize the entire Sermon on the Mount?! There is so much here to consider and chew on, but I'll just limit myself to a few observations. Feel free to fill in what I missed!

True Conversion. Jesus gives us the path and product of true conversion. The "Beatitudes" give us the path. There must be honesty about your condition (poor in spirit), repentance (mourn) and humility (meek). The rest of the list gives the product of true conversion (a hunger and thirst for righteousness, showing mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking and the resulting reviling and persecution from the world). Other evidences of true conversion are seen in the way that we are salt in the earth and light in the world (5:13-16), the good fruit that comes from our lives (7:15-20) and submission to the words of Jesus (7:24-27). Jesus presents the Law and it's applications to show us how much we need this conversion (5:17-48), and then tells us that the way is narrow and hard (7:13-14). The warning that Jesus gives at the end of the sermon is quite sobering (7:21-23)! I pray that no reader of this blog would be numbered with those who only profess to know the Savior, but are not truly known by the Savior!

The Evil of Pride - 6:1-17. How sad it is when we find ourselves doing what we ought to do in order to be seen and praise by men! It reminded me of this verse in Isaiah 2:22 - Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

The Glory of Jesus Christ. 7:28-29 has long been one of my favorite passages of Scripture. Jesus' teaching is not like any mere mortal! His teaching commands attention because it has authority. I pray that my own teaching would be so in tune with the truth of God that it may have His authority attached to it!

Soli Deo Gloria

Day 1 - Matthew 1-4

Here's what jumped out at me this time around!

The sovereign grace of God in bringing good out of evil. In the genealogy of Jesus Christ several things just leap off the page. The line that leads to Christ includes the son that resulted from the incestuous union between Judah and Tamar (see Gen. 38). It also includes a prostitute, Rahab (see Josh. 2). It includes the son of Bathsheba, the woman with whom King David committed adultery. God used sinful people and their sinful acts to bring into the world the One who would save these people from their sins! Isn't God good?!

The obedience of Joseph. Watch how every time God told Joseph to do something, he did it immediately (see 1:20,24-25; 2:13-14; 19-21). I know that we don't have God appearing to us in dreams telling us to go to specific places, but we do have God's Word that tells us to do (or not do) some very specific things. O, that we would follow Joseph's example of submission to the will of God in our lives!

The reliability of Scripture. How many times are the words "to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet" used in these chapters?! When God predicts something, it happens. He has a perfect track record! Therefore, we can have confidence that everything that He has promised, will come to pass!

The importance of repentance. Notice how "repent" was the theme of the message of both John the Baptist (3:2) AND Jesus (4:17)! Unfortunately, this theme is all too uncommon in present-day preaching!

The glory of Jesus Christ. Of course, this is the theme of the entire NT, but notice how it is emphasized in these first four chapters of Matthew's Gospel. He will save His people from their sins (1:21). He is God with us (1:23). He was worshiped by the magi (2:11). His greatness was acknowledged by John the Baptist (3:14) and confirmed by the Spirit (3:16) and the Father (3:17). His holiness manifested in overcoming the temptations of the Devil (4:1-11). His power in successfully calling men to Himself (4:18-22). His power over sickness and demons (4:23-24). What a Savior!

Well, there it is. I know there is much more in these chapters to point out and discuss, but I'll leave the rest of that for the comments. Feel free to point out what you learned from these chapters and comment on what I've mentioned.

Soli Deo Gloria