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
Daily Prayer for March 17
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31–32, NIV Dear Father in heaven, grant that we may come to you in the Spirit. Through your Spirit gather us and many others on earth around our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Savior of humankind. May our hearts become truly free because you deliver us from all bondage to our own natures and to the world around us. As free people may we be led safely through distress, fear, and want, through need and death. May we become happy children whom Jesus Christ has called to life, children who are not discouraged by the struggle but who fight joyfully for your kingdom until it can be revealed to all the world. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Why All Christians Should Give Lent a Chance Benjamin Crosby Feasting and fasting help us habituate our affections, help us to feel the truths of the gospel. Read now Saint Patrick’s Windows into Grief Lanta Davis On a tiny island in a lake in Ireland, Harry Clarke’s stations of the cross in stained glass comforted me as I grieved my mother. Read now Living in Limbo Joseph Sorrentino Migrants from around the world, setting their hopes on legal entry into the United States, congregate in Mexico. Read now Rachoff Karl Josef Friedrich In this story, a young man takes to the road to follow his master, Jesus. Read now The Eternal Questions Illustrated Gary Saul Morson A Dostoyevsky scholar introduces a graphic novel adaptation of “The Grand Inquisitor.” Read now
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.
Presuming on Grace?
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Caiaphas spoke treacherously about Me. At the same time, he also unwittingly spoke God’s truth about My mission: Caiaphas, the High Priest That Year: …it’s better… that one man should die for the people so the whole nation won’t perish. … 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. (John 11:50-52) Many of My own people would reject Me (John 1:10-11) and have Me crucified by the Romans (Acts 2:22-23; Acts 3:13-15). However, My death and resurrection would draw all kinds of people — Jews and non-Jews alike (John 12:32-33) — to Me as disciples. I didn’t die just for one group, but I died for the sins of all people (1 John 2:1-2). I want you to hear My loving, but firm, words of truth. No group, no race, no country, and no region can grow calloused and presume they are the only recipients of heaven’s grace! We — Father, Son, and Spirit — called Abraham to be the father of a new nation. This nation was to live in a special relationship with Us and be a blessing to all nations of the world (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham and his descendants, the Israelites, received Our promises and shared in the blessings of Our covenants. We called Israel to be a light to the nations. Israel was to be a blessing to those trapped in the darkness of sin, paganism, and ignorance. Yet throughout Our long history of loving patience with Our chosen people, you will find exceptional person after exceptional person who was not an Israelite by race. And each of these remarkable people became part of Israel’s great story of faith — people like Rahab, Ruth, and several centurions you meet in the New Testament. So as I near My chosen city that is about to reject Me, you shouldn’t be surprised by the thankful outsider in the story below. This outsider is the only one who returns to thank me. Years earlier, Moses had repeatedly warned the Israelite people never to forget all that their great I AM had done for them. Regardless, how quickly they did forget. So I ask you not to presume on the grace you have received. Don’t assume that Our blessings are yours by national privilege, racial preference, religious heritage, or your own righteousness. As Hosea declared and the apostle Paul repeatedly pointed out, My righteous people will live by faith. What’s more, that faith will motivate them to take the grace they have received and share it with others. Verses to Live As you read the verses below, think back on the blessings that you have received. Ask yourself if you are more like the nine insiders who didn’t offer thanks for their healing or the one outsider who returned to thank Me. Jesus was still pressing toward Jerusalem, taking a road that went along the border between Samaria (considered undesirable territory) and Galilee. On the outskirts of a border town along this road, He was greeted from a distance by a group of 10 people who were under quarantine because of an ugly and disgusting skin disease known as leprosy. Lepers (shouting across the distance): Jesus, Master, show mercy to us! Jesus: Go now and present yourselves to the priests for inspection of your disease. They went, and before they reached the priests, their skin disease was healed, leaving no trace of the disease that scarred them and separated them from the community. One of them, the instant he realized he had been healed, turned and ran back to Jesus, shouting praises to God. He prostrated himself facedown at Jesus’ feet. Leper: Thank You! Thank You! Now this fellow happened to be, not a Jew, but a Samaritan. Jesus: Didn’t all ten receive the same healing this fellow did? Where are the other nine? Was the only one who came back to give God praise an outsider? (to the Samaritan man) Get up, and go your way. Your faith has made you healthy again. (Luke 17:11-19) Response in Prayer O Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. I want the reign of Your grace to completely capture my heart and continue to change my attitudes, my words, and my actions to reflect my deep appreciation for the grace You have given me. I recognize that I am saved by Your grace. I trust that Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection defeated the power of sin and death, purchasing my pardon and making me Your child. May I never presume on Your amazing grace, O Lord! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Daily Prayer for March 16
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 53:12, NIV Dear Father in heaven, may we receive your Spirit so that we win the victory over ourselves and over the world around us, not with our human crudeness, force, and clamor, but only through your Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. Help each of us in our own particular situation. We all know there is much evil around us; there is much we must fight. But in Jesus’ name we want to plunge right in, right into the world, right into whatever suffering is meant for us in the midst of the evil that is not yet overcome. In Jesus’ name we go toward the great victory that will come when all who are granted your joy will praise you with all their hearts, O Father in heaven. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Saint Patrick’s Windows into Grief Lanta Davis On a tiny island in a lake in Ireland, Harry Clarke’s stations of the cross in stained glass comforted me as I grieved my mother. Read now Living in Limbo Joseph Sorrentino Migrants from around the world, setting their hopes on legal entry into the United States, congregate in Mexico. Read now Rachoff Karl Josef Friedrich In this story, a young man takes to the road to follow his master, Jesus. Read now The Eternal Questions Illustrated Gary Saul Morson A Dostoyevsky scholar introduces a graphic novel adaptation of “The Grand Inquisitor.” Read now Just Your Handyman Kurt Armstrong Some people build skyscrapers. I address that damp spot on your kitchen ceiling. Read now
Today’s Verse – Genesis 3:15
[The LORD God said to the serpent,] “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” —Genesis 3:15 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God’s words are his curse upon the serpent who tempted and lured Eve and Adam to sin. Satan is the personality behind the serpent. Even in this curse, even in recognition of a struggle between the woman’s offspring and Satan, even in the face of destruction and decay unleashed in God’s once perfect world, the LORD embeds the promise of his better future for us. That future comes to us in Jesus! Satan appeared to win the battle at the Cross, but after three days passed, the LORD’s resurrection changed everything. Jesus’ triumph over death left Satan powerless to make death the final word for Jesus or for us. The Evil One’s most strategic plan to bring damnation on us all left the old snake with a crushed head at the doorway of Jesus’ empty tomb! What follows is a video that was originally used on Sunday, March 15, 2020. This was the beginning of COVID social distancing practices and was part of our ministry to bless God’s people during this dark time when many could not assemble. We will keep the ToGather videos with our devotionals for your added blessing! Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Thank you, dear Father, for taking the stinger out of death and establishing an assured hope for my future. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and that you will raise me and bless me with life forever in your presence. For this enduring victory, I praise you in Jesus’ name. 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.
Unbound
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, Yesterday I talked to you about the importance of My grace leading you to forgive those who have wounded you. That is hard. Today I want to talk to you about one of My greatest enemies (1 Corinthians 15:24-26) and one of the primary reasons I came to earth and walked as God among you. I came to defeat the power of sin and death and the hold they have over you. Please know I hurt when grief rips apart your life and tears huge and gaping holes in your heart. My weeping at Martha’s and Mary’s pain, detailed in the verses below, is a reminder to you. While you shouldn’t “grieve like people who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT), death still can wound you even when your faith is rich and full. I knew that I was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, yet the grief of his two sisters tore at My heart. I know the great resurrection life I will share with everyone who dies and belongs to Me, yet the grief of each person’s family and friends still tears at My heart! There are many things about John’s account of My raising Lazarus to life that can bless you and challenge you: The fact that people die doesn’t mean I do not love them and those who love them. People’s death is not a sign that I don’t hear the prayers of their loved ones. People who die with faith in Me have not really died; just their bodies die. They are still connected intimately to Me and will be with Me throughout eternity. I hurt deeply with the death of those who love Me, and I hurt and I am intensely troubled for their families’ pain as well. There are even more messages for you to hear, but one clear message from Me to you today is this: death should not hold you hostage if you belong to Me! Listen to the last words in the verses below referring to Lazarus, who had been dead, and let them reverberate in your heart: Untie him, and let him go. Verses to Live Before you read the account about Lazarus, I want to remind you of two passages in your New Testament that speak to the truth that death should not hold you hostage. I want you to hear both of them so that you have their echo of My truth in your heart as you read John’s account that follows: Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NLT) Since we, the children, are all creatures of flesh and blood, Jesus took on flesh and blood, so that by dying He could destroy the one who held power over death — the devil — and destroy the fear of death that has always held people captive. (Hebrews 2:14-15) I hurt when you hurt because of grief, but please know that all grief for those who belong to Me will ultimately be caught up in glory on the day when the Father will wipe every tear from your eyes (Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:4): There was a certain man who was very ill. He was known as Lazarus from Bethany, which is the hometown of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary did a beautiful thing for Jesus. She anointed the Lord with a pleasant-smelling oil and wiped His feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus became deathly ill, so the sisters immediately sent a message to Jesus which said, “Lord, the one You love is very ill.” Jesus heard the message. Jesus: His sickness will not end in his death but will bring great glory to God. As these events unfold, the Son of God will be exalted. Jesus dearly loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. However, after receiving this news, He waited two more days where He was. Jesus (speaking to the disciples): It is time to return to Judea. Disciples: Teacher, the last time You were there, some Jews attempted to execute You by crushing You with stones. Why would You go back? Jesus: There are 12 hours of daylight, correct? If anyone walks in the day, that person does not stumble because he or she sees the light of the world. If anyone walks at night, he will trip and fall because he does not have the light within. (Jesus briefly pauses.) Our friend Lazarus has gone to sleep, so I will go to awaken him. Disciples: Lord, if he is sleeping, then he will be all right. Jesus used “sleep” as a metaphor for death, but the disciples took Him literally and did not understand. Then Jesus spoke plainly. Jesus: Lazarus is dead, and I am grateful for your sakes that I was not there when he died. Now you will see and believe. Gather yourselves, and let’s go to him. Thomas, the Twin (to the disciples): Let’s go so we can die with Him. As Jesus was approaching Bethany (which is about two miles east of Jerusalem), He heard that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. Now many people had come to comfort Mary and Martha as they mourned the loss of their brother. Martha went to meet Jesus when word arrived that He was approaching Bethany, but Mary stayed behind at the house. Martha: Lord, if You had been with us, my brother would not have died. Even so I still believe that anything You ask of God will be done. Jesus: Your brother will rise to life. Martha: I know. He will rise again when everyone is resurrected
15 Mar 2024
Even as we purpose to do our part to ensure we experience God’s love, an element of faith plus His love and mercy are necessary for us to enter His rest. Hebrews 4:1-11.
Daily Prayer for March 15
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21, NIV Lord our God, through the Spirit grant us community with you, we pray. Help us onward again and again, and help us grow in strength to follow what is true and good. May your goodness and your grace be in our hearts to help us in all practical things. Grant that wherever we live we may have something of the power in which Jesus Christ lived and suffered, in which he died and yet lives again. May the world still learn that it has a redeemer and that it belongs to him, to the glory of your name. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Rachoff Karl Josef Friedrich In this story, a young man takes to the road to follow his master, Jesus. Read now The Eternal Questions Illustrated Gary Saul Morson A Dostoyevsky scholar introduces a graphic novel adaptation of “The Grand Inquisitor.” Read now Just Your Handyman Kurt Armstrong Some people build skyscrapers. I address that damp spot on your kitchen ceiling. Read now The Story of Qassem Stephanie Saldaña In an excerpt from What We Remember Will Be Saved, a young Yazidi refugee details the journey of his flight. Read now Peacemaker in a War School Israel Steinmetz What’s it like to be a pacifist serving as a chaplain with the US Navy? Read now
14 Mar 2024
To avoid the wrath of God, submit to Him, resist the devil, purify your heart, be remorseful about your sins and humble yourself before the Lord. James 4:7-10.