Seekers, Sinners, and Savior
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, You are most likely seeking to be one of My disciples or you wouldn’t be reading this. Or you already are a part of My family. Then you are an insider — one of My followers and someone who is religious, in the best sense of that word. So I want to challenge you to listen to the two stories Luke gives you in the verses below. Realize that these stories are intended to speak to you, as My disciple. They are reminders of how you are to treat people who are seeking to get close to Me. Notice several things about these two events! At first glance, these situations are very different from one another. One man is blind and has to beg for just enough money to survive. The other man, Zaccheus, is a tax collector and is rich; he lacks nothing financially. However, when you look more closely at the two events, you find that these two men have a number of things in common. They both live on the margins of society — the first as a beggar and the second as someone considered by the people as a “notorious sinner”! Neither can see Me — one because of blindness and the other because he is too short to see over the crowd. Both are determined to get close to Me. The blind man shouts and begs for mercy. The tax collector climbs a tree to see over the crowd. Both show humility in My presence. The blind man begs for mercy. Zaccheus humbles himself by pointing out that he gives his money to help the poor and will pay restitution for whatever he has done wrong. Both receive what they need from Me. The blind man receives his sight and praises God. The tax collector receives salvation (“liberation”). Now notice one other disturbing parallel between these two people. Folks around Me try to get in the way of each of these men. They try to keep them from connecting with Me. The blind man is given a “reprimand” from the people in the crowd. I am criticized by the crowd around Me for going to be “the houseguest of this fellow [Zaccheus] who is a notorious sinner.” Have you ever thought about why many religious people act so differently to broken and sinful people than I did? Have you ever wondered why broken and sinful people longed to be around Me, but now they mostly avoid those in your world who claim to follow Me? Don’t you feel sad, even angry, when you see people who deeply need My help yet they are told to shut up — or made to feel that they are not good enough to be in My presence because of their lifestyle? But these people know they desperately need My love, My acceptance, and My grace! Don’t skip over the preceding questions too quickly. Go back and read them again. Think about the implication of what those questions mean for you and the religion you pursue. Be troubled by those questions! Also, contemplate the following questions: Why would Luke tell these stories? Why would he put them back-to-back? Now notice what I told My disciples that My mission was: I came “to seek and to liberate the lost.” If you are My disciple, and your goal is to become like Me, then what does that say about your mission and the people you must welcome and serve? The religious crowd didn’t understand Me. They criticized Me for the questionable people whom I helped and with whom I shared meals. What does that say about what some folks — even religious folks who claim to follow Me — will say about you as you emulate My interaction with others who do not seem so religious? Rather than hiding from the broken and lost sinners of the world, shouldn’t you be out there among them helping them find their way to Me? Verses to Live So how are you going to be like Me in your daily life? What will need to change? How will you have to connect to people differently? What criticism must you be willing to receive? Who are people around you that are wanting to draw near to Me and need your help in getting closer to Me? I hope you will think about these questions as you read these two very important and interconnected stories from My ministry! Picture this: Jesus is nearing the city of Jericho. A blind man is sitting there, begging by the roadside. He can hear the sounds of the crowd accompanying Jesus, and he asks what’s going on. Crowd: Jesus of Nazareth is passing this way. Then the man starts shouting. Blind Man: Jesus, Son of King David, show mercy to me! The people in the front of the crowd reprimand him and tell him to be quiet, but he just shouts louder. Blind Man: Son of King David, show mercy to me! Jesus stops and tells the people to bring the man over to Him. The man stands in front of Jesus. Jesus: What do you want Me to do for you? Blind Man: Lord, let me receive my sight. Jesus: Receive your sight; your faith has made you well. At that very instant, the man is able to see. He begins following Jesus, shouting praises to God; and everyone in the crowd, when they see what has happened, starts praising God too. Jesus enters Jericho and seems only to be passing through. Living in Jericho is a man named Zaccheus. He’s the head tax collector and is very rich. He is also very short. He wants to see Jesus as He passes through the center of town, but he can’t get a glimpse because the crowd blocks his view. So he runs ahead of the crowd and climbs up into a sycamore tree so he can see Jesus when He passes beneath him. Jesus
Today’s Verse – Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. —Ephesians 3:20-21 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We have far greater power than we often realize. That incredible power is at work within us (Ephesians 1:18-19). This promise of power, however, is tied to two opportunities God gives us daily: Ask God to do great things based on a Spirit-charged imagination. Intentionally live to bring God glory each day. So, let’s ask, imagine, and give God glory. Let’s praise him for what he is doing in our lives. Let’s imagine great things he can do in us, with us, and through us, while expecting him to do far greater things than we ask or even imagine! My Prayer… Dear Father in Heaven, forgive me for limiting your power through my pedestrian dreams, selfish prayers, and short-sighted goals. Awaken my heart to your will and open my eyes to your plans by the power of your Holy Spirit. I ask this in Jesus’ name and for your glory. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Unable to Comprehend
Note from Jesus Dear Child of God, Sometimes the truth is simply hard to comprehend. I’m not talking about a truth that is intellectually tough to comprehend. Instead, I’m speaking about a truth that is hard to comprehend emotionally. This kind of truth is out of phase with what the world expects and understands. On My way to the cross, I hinted, I taught, and I repeatedly made plain statements about My passion in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, this truth was hidden from My disciples. To put it bluntly, these facts were too gruesome for My disciples to imagine. It was too horrible for them to comprehend. They had seen Me restore sight to the blind. They had witnessed Me raise the dead back to life. They had watched as I restored to health those with leprosy. They viewed My work in amazement as I enabled the lame to walk. They marveled when I freed demon-possessed people. They were humbled when I stilled the storm with its wild winds and raging seas. They picked up twelve baskets of leftovers when I fed the multitude with a small amount of food. They joined in the joy as I tenderly restored broken folks to their families, to robust health, or to a productive place in society. How could their Lord, the Savior, someone with such power, have to face such a grotesque and humiliating death? They couldn’t understand the truth about My upcoming crucifixion because there was simply no place in their thinking for it. Their Messiah should never have to endure such things. Yet the great prophet Isaiah had spoken about Me as the Servant of the Lord — the great suffering Servant. This description was the great window of the prophets to the truth I was about to embrace. Below, I want you to read about My disciples’ inability to grasp My journey to the cross and to the resurrection. Then I want you to read one of Isaiah’s famous servant songs about My suffering. I want you to realize that there will always be mysteries for you to uncover about Me. These are experiential mysteries for you yet to discover about My identity. You will come to understand some truths about Me because your life experiences and your time in the Scriptures intersect. In that intersection, you are suddenly able to unwrap new, deep, and powerful truths about Me that were hidden from you. Following Me brings a lifetime of discovery! Verses to Live Remember, My disciples would have quoted the servant songs from Isaiah as part of their earlier training in the synagogue. However, until the cross and My resurrection, they did not put those songs together with My ministry as Messiah. When they did put them together, what a powerful testimony they had to others. My story was written into the DNA of Scripture hundreds of years before I lived, yet only fully appreciated after My resurrection! He [Jesus] took the twelve aside and spoke privately to them. Jesus: Look, my friends, we are going up to Jerusalem. Everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the outsiders. They will mock Him, disgrace Him, and spit on Him; they will scourge Him, and they will kill Him. And on the third day, He will rise from death. But they had no comprehension of what He was talking about. The meaning was hidden from them, and they couldn’t grasp it. (Luke 18:31-34) Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:1-12 NIV) Response in Prayer O Father, open my eyes so that I can clearly see Jesus. I ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to remove what is hidden
Today’s Verse – Acts 3:19-20
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who he has appointed for you — even Jesus. —Acts 3:19-20 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… When did you last catch yourself straying from a passionate walk with the LORD? Refreshing times come when we change our hearts and lives to turn our hearts toward Jesus and live for God in our daily lives! This is real repentance. When we repent and live for him, Jesus promised to reveal himself to us and make his home in us (John 14:15-21, 23-24). When we turn our hearts and lives around in repentance to live for him, we enjoy forgiveness and immediate refreshment now as we look forward to going home to be with him and enjoy our ultimate refreshment with him forever. My Prayer… Abba Father, I am consciously turning my life over to you today. I renounce the sin in my life and yearn to live for you. I ask for your forgiveness for any sin that I have committed. I trust you will refresh my spirit through a deeper awareness of Jesus’ lordship and presence in my life today. I pray this, trusting in your promised refreshment and presence. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
As a Child!
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, When you read the verses below, I want you to notice My interactions with My disciples regarding a rich public official who turned away from following Me. I challenged My disciples to think through his rejection of My call and focus their attention on those who are worthy of their emulation: Don’t you realize — the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children? You can depend on this: if you don’t receive the Kingdom as a child would, you won’t enter it at all. Religion gets far off track when the focus becomes a question of who is most important, most religious, and most deserving of the Father’s love. I came to you as God. The rich public official in the story below missed this truth. He called Me “good” and only God is truly good. So I challenged him to listen to Me as God. I told him that he needed to drop his religious game of trying to earn the Father’s love. He needed to quit trying to outdo all the others around him in his religious practices. He needed to look deep into his own heart and see that there was an idol he held as more important than obeying the voice of the Father. However, he dismissed what I said. He refused to give up his idol — his great wealth — for two reasons: He didn’t think of Me as God. He dismissed what I said as just more religious teaching. He didn’t accept what I said as the very commands of God. He was rich and his idol — his real god — was his money. Unfortunately, he thought he could earn the Father’s favor just like he had earned his money. Sadly, he walked away from Me and from the joy of My kingdom because he couldn’t give up what was false. Just before the description of this rich public official’s visit with Me, you meet children who are the model for the kind of heart that receives My kingdom. Just after this official, you meet My disciples. In childlike amazement, they wonder how anyone can be saved if someone who has lived a good life, like this rich public official, couldn’t find his way into My kingdom. I reminded them that they were thinking in human terms. And in human terms, it is impossible. But We — Father, Son, and Spirit — make the impossible possible. All that My disciples had to do was look at themselves and what they had given up. You see, nothing is impossible for the heart totally yielded to Me. You cannot give up more for Me than you will receive many times over in the age to come (Matthew 19:29). However — and this is a huge “however” — you have to be willing to follow Me as a child. So come, dear precious one, and follow Me! Verses to Live During My time on earth, children were not an important part of society. They were trained, loved, nurtured, and apprenticed at home. They were not important in adult society. For Me to hold them up as a good example of a disciple was shocking. To elevate children above a rich, devoted-to-the-law public official was shocking. Sometimes, My precious one, shocking is good. Listen with your heart. Invite the Holy Spirit to attach these words to your soul. I AM the good teacher. I AM God among you. I AM the One teaching the eternal truth. You either renounce all of your idols and follow Me as a child, or you walk away from Me with a sad heart. If you leave, you forfeit your hope of enjoying My kingdom. Some people brought infants to Jesus, hoping He would touch them to bless them. The disciples rebuked them for doing this. However, Jesus reacted strongly to their rebuke. Jesus: Let the little children come to Me. Never hinder them! Don’t you realize — the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children? You can depend on this: if you don’t receive the Kingdom as a child would, you won’t enter it at all. Public Official: Good Teacher, what do I need to do to inherit the life of the age to come? Jesus: Why did you just call Me good? No one is good but God — only God. You know what the Hebrew Scriptures command: “Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother.” Public Official: I’ve already been doing these things — since I came of age. Jesus: One thing you still lack — one thing; sell all your possessions and distribute the proceeds to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. Then you can come and follow Me. The man heard these words and sadness came over his face, for his wealth was considerable. Jesus: What a hard thing it is for those with much wealth to enter the kingdom of God! In fact, it would be easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than it would be for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God! Listeners: Then who can be liberated? Jesus: Remember, what is humanly impossible is possible with God. Peter: We have left our homes and followed You. Jesus: I’m telling you the truth: there is nobody who leaves his house or wife or siblings or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not receive more than he has given up — much more — in this age and in the age to come. He will receive eternal life. (Luke 18:15-30) Response in Prayer Father in heaven, I thank You for Jesus being among us in His earthly ministry as Immanuel — God with us. I confess that I sometimes try to win Your approval by compiling a list of things I
Today’s Verse – 2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all [contemplate and] reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. —2 Corinthians 3:18 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “Transformed … with ever-increasing glory.” In other words, it’s an ongoing process. The beauty of this truth is that with the continual help of the Holy Spirit, we’re going to arrive at our goal — the Spirit is transforming us to become more and more like Jesus! The message is that we must not give up on our journey. We must keep looking to Jesus and reflecting his character, his compassion, his love, and his holiness, while we trust that the Holy Spirit is doing God’s work in us, making us more and more like Jesus each day. My Prayer… Father, please forgive me for the times when I’ve let my faith grow complacent, and I’ve lost my focus on Jesus. Please bless me as I try to be more intentional in my plans, especially my spiritual maturity. Please make me more like Jesus each day. I offer myself to you that I might become more JESUShaped. In his name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Questions Out of Focus
Note from Jesus Dear Believer, Have you noticed how people sometimes ask the wrong questions? Those questions reveal their assumptions about reality and their place in it. Religious people are not immune to asking the wrong questions. The two parables that I told in the verses below challenge you to think about the assumptions that lie behind your questions. In the first parable, the implied question of My people is this: “Will God hear my prayers and answer my repeated pleas to bring justice and deliverance for us, His people?” My response is the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge. In story form, My answer is clear. An unjust judge can be swayed by a powerless widow who will not give up asking him for help. Surely you know that your loving Father in heaven will hear you. He will lovingly hear your earnest and repeated prayers and answer according to His gracious purposes for you. That answer will not be haphazard; it will come at the best possible time for your wellbeing and for the wellbeing of the fallen universe in bondage to decay. However, I want to remind you of an even more important question: “[W]hen the Son of Man comes, will He find anyone who still has faith?” That Son of Man is Me! You must live for Me with urgency anticipating My coming at any moment. You need to be full of anticipation regardless of how it seems your prayers are heard. The Father hears and cares about your hurt. He cares about the delay you feel in His response to your prayers. So please, be patient and faithful, knowing that I AM near. In the second parable, the self-righteous man’s implied question is this: “How can I display to others that I am a person of righteousness and honor when I go to pray in the Temple?” My answer is this: The Father doesn’t want you to try to make yourself look honorable and righteous to others when you worship Him or try to honor Him. Instead, the Father wants you to focus on a question of deeper significance about His love for you: “O Father, how can You be so gracious as to forgive me and to be merciful to me, a sinner?” Going home having been made righteous by the Father is much more important than appearing righteous. Your questions, even when they are legitimate, often have their focus on you and your circumstances. Shouldn’t your questions focus on the Father’s faithfulness, mercy, and grace? Shouldn’t your questions focus on how blessed you are because the Father has chosen you to share in His grace? Shouldn’t your perspective include the needs of the lost around you? Shouldn’t your questions show amazement at the Father’s great love for you even when you were a rebellious sinner and so prone to abandoning your faith? Verses to Live Please remember two things as you read the following verses: First, at the heart of sin, is an “I” problem. People focus too much on themselves! Even when times are hard and persecution becomes increasingly dangerous, don’t give up and don’t lose heart. Be like the persistent widow in My parable. The Father is listening and will answer you! Second, God’s faithfulness, mercy, love, and grace are reliable. You can trust in them because you trust in Him! He [Jesus] told them a parable, urging them to keep praying and never grow discouraged. The parable went like this: Jesus: There was a judge living in a certain city. He showed no respect for God or humanity. In that same city there was a widow. Again and again she kept coming to him seeking justice: “Clear my name from my adversary’s false accusations!” He paid no attention to her request for a while, but then he said to himself, “I don’t care about what God thinks of me, much less what any mere human thinks. But this widow is driving me crazy. She’s never going to quit coming to see me unless I hear her case and provide her legal protection.” Did you catch what this self-assured judge said? If he can be moved to act justly, won’t God bring justice for His chosen people when they cry to Him day and night? Will He be slow to bring them justice? Mark My words: God will intervene fast with vindication. But here’s the question: when the Son of Man comes, will He find anyone who still has faith? He told another parable — this one addressed to people who were confident in their self-righteousness and looked down on other people with disgust. Jesus: Imagine two men walking up a road, going to the temple to pray. One of them is a Pharisee and the other is a despised tax collector. Once inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other people — crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral — like this tax collector over here. Just look at me! I fast not once but twice a week, and I faithfully pay my tithes on every penny of income.” Over in the corner, the tax collector begins to pray, but he won’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He pounds on his chest in sorrow and says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Now imagine these two men walking back down the road to their homes. Listen, it’s the tax collector who walks home clean before God, and not the Pharisee, because whoever lifts himself up will be put down and whoever takes a humble place will be lifted up. (Luke 18:1-14) Response in Prayer Almighty God, I confess that I sometimes place myself at the center of my spiritual universe and do not consider the long-term implications of my influence. Forgive me for my impertinence in prayer and the selfishness sometimes found in my
Today’s Verse – Philippians 3:17
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. —Philippians 3:17 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Some critics of preaching and preachers say, “I would rather see a sermon any day than hear one.” I’m not distressed because people want to “see a sermon.” The life of those preaching should be consistent with what they preach. Some don’t “practice what they preach,” and their hypocrisy discredits the message of Christ in the ears of our critics. A leader’s primary tool of influence is a life of faithfulness, character, and compassion. Whether the leader serves in politics, business, church, or family, godly influence is necessary! All who seek to influence others toward JESUShaped living MUST practice what we preach. Why? Because most folks need to both hear and see the message before it becomes a part of their daily lifestyle. My Prayer… LORD God Almighty, please forgive me, equip me, and make me fit for your service. Please help me, dear Father, as I try to live a life worth imitating as I seek to lead others to Jesus and JESUShaped living. I ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and strength because I cannot lead with faithfulness, character, and compassion without the Spirit’s power and grace transforming my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
The Gathering Storm
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, If you have been following along with My story in the gospels, you know that I am headed for Jerusalem. You also know that I am on a collision course with the Jewish and Roman leaders there. When I raised My friend Lazarus from the dead, all the attention I received intensified the whole situation. Lazarus’ resurrection occurred very close to Jerusalem. The news of My miraculous sign spread quickly. As you read the verses below, notice all the different reactions to Me and My work. Before you pass judgment on any of the people who fit the following descriptions, try to place yourself in their situations and think through what you would do. You believe in Me and see Me raise Lazarus from the dead. You doubt Me, but can’t quite get Me and what I’m doing out of your head. You don’t believe in Me, so what are you going to do about the Lazarus incident? You are a Jewish religious leader trying to preserve Jerusalem, the Temple, and your role of importance in the whole political, social, and religious environment. You are a Roman leader expected by Caesar to keep the peace, and you keep hearing rumors about Me and My growing following. You are a gawker always looking for the next big thing to come along, and so you find yourself fascinated by all the rumors and crowds who gather around Me. After the resurrection of Lazarus, something was going to happen. My presence would no longer be something that could be overlooked. Lightning had just struck with the resurrection of Lazarus. The gathering storm would only intensify a few days later when I entered Jerusalem to the cries of “Hosanna”! Yet in all the speculation, rancor, scheming, and questioning, Caiaphas spoke the Father’s truth. He uttered a statement in panic with murderous determination that on another level was God’s inspired truth: …it’s better for you that one man should die for the people so the whole nation won’t perish. And in case you missed the truth, John comments on it with these words: As high priest that year, Caiaphas prophesied (without knowing it) that Jesus would die on behalf of the entire nation, and not just for the children of Israel — He would die so all God’s children could be gathered from the four corners of the world into one people. In that moment, they [the Jewish leaders] cemented their intentions to have Jesus executed. So there you have it. Lazarus’ resurrection was the final straw that made the Jewish leaders determined to carry out their long-held desire to execute Me. My journey to the cross becomes even more definite because I raised a dead man back to life. My time had come according to the Father’s plan. My death was necessary from the viewpoint of the religious leaders who feared and hated Me. Those who hold Me as their enemy will have to work out the details, but My future, My purpose, and My trip to the cross are now in motion. As we continue to share My journey to the cross over the next few days, notice: how I conduct Myself, what I say, with whom I spend my time, how I handle – those who are determined to kill Me, – those who cannot decide about Me, – those who have put their faith in Me. Trials don’t develop character; they reveal it. Notice My character as I journey to the cross and give My life to redeem the world — and you — from the grip of sin and death. Verses to Live I’m sure Martha and Mary had no idea how big a storm would follow the death of their brother Lazarus. They were grief-stricken. When I raised Lazarus from the dead, they were overjoyed. Little did they know how big a threat that their resurrected brother could be to the leaders of Jerusalem. These leaders weren’t content with killing Me; they felt they must kill Lazarus, too! Then, the man who was dead [Lazarus] walked out of his tomb bound from head to toe in a burial shroud. Jesus: Untie him, and let him go. As a result, many of the Jews who had come with Mary saw what happened and believed in Him [Jesus]. But some went to the Pharisees to report what they witnessed Jesus doing. As a result of these reports — and on short notice — the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the high council. Pharisees: What are we going to do about this man? He is performing many miracles. If we don’t stop this now, every man, woman, and child will believe in Him. You know what will happen next? The Romans will think He’s mounting a revolution and will destroy our temple. It will be the end of our nation. Caiaphas, the High Priest That Year: You have no idea what you are talking about; what you don’t understand is that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people so the whole nation won’t perish. His speech was more than it seemed. As high priest that year, Caiaphas prophesied (without knowing it) that Jesus would die on behalf of the entire nation, and not just for the children of Israel — He would die so all God’s children could be gathered from the four corners of the world into one people. In that moment, they cemented their intentions to have Jesus executed. From that day forward, Jesus refrained from walking publicly among the people in Judea. He withdrew to a small town known as Ephraim, a rural area near the wilderness, where He set up camp with His disciples. The Passover was approaching, and Jews everywhere traveled to Jerusalem early so they could purify themselves and prepare for Passover. People were looking for Jesus, hoping to catch a glimpse of Him in the city. All the while, some Jews
Today’s Verse – John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. —John 3:16-17 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus came to save the world. Jesus came to save you. Jesus came to save me. Why? Because of the Father’s love for us! Don’t let human commentary on this clear truth distort the reality and depth of God’s love for you! God sent the Son to save the world — that includes saving you and me — and he did it through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection! My Prayer… Holy and Righteous Father, thank you for your love. I know I didn’t earn or deserve it, but thank you. Until I see you face to face and express my appreciation and praise for you in your presence, please know my heartfelt gratitude and my deep and abiding joy because of your plan, your Son, and your salvation. I thank you in the name of Jesus, my Savior. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.