Nov 10: Matthew 4, Jeremiah 19, Psalm 89
Nov 11: Matthew 5, Jeremiah 20, Psalm 90
Nov 12: Matthew 6, Jeremiah 21, Psalm 91
Nov 13: Matthew 7, Jeremiah 22, Psalm 92
Nov 14: Matthew 8, Jeremiah 23, Psalm 93
Nov 15: Matthew 9, Jeremiah 24, Psalm 94
Matthew_27
Scripture
Matthew 27:28-3128 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When they had [h]twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
Observation
In many ways, this is the beginning of the end…but also the end of the beginning.Judas had basically sold Jesus off to his death for 30 pieces of silver, felt great shame and guilt and tried to return it then hung himself.Jesus had been taken before the governor, Pilate, who did NOT find him guilty but upheld the custom of releasing only one prisoner of the crowd’s choice – of which they chose Barabbas.Now, Barabbas has been released and they begin the process of crucifixion.
Understanding
The accounting of Jesus’ death is always heart wrenching. No one deserves a death like this, especially not an innocent, peaceful and loving man…for whom the governor could find no wrong. One thing to take away though, is Jesus’ example of humility.I’ve always felt that spitting on someone was among the most disgusting and disrespectful things one could do to another. And here we see our Savior being mocked, subjected to pain, spit on, struck, stripped down, fed sour wine, hung, nail pierced…yet, even here – subjected to humiliation and holding the power to bring down whatever he wanted on to these people (fire and lightening come to mind for me) – he remains innocent, peaceful, loving and humble. Talk about raising the bar in living a life of example!
Life Application
God, I thank you that you have such incredibly high standards…but that in the short time you physically walked the earth, you set the best example of living up to those high standards. I’ll be honest, it still doesn’t possible and I know I fail daily…but make me more like you. May my humility, my love, my kindness, my attempts to bring harmony and peace be reflective of you in me and may it turn hearts towards you. In your name I pray. Rei To check out the discussion or to join in click here.
Matthew_26
Scripture: Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Observation-What does it say? Jesus is in the final stretches of his first mission on earth. He has made the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and is about to be betrayed. In light of what is about to happen, Jesus stops to pray. He prayed with fever and passion, as described in Luke 22:39-46. “The prospect of his suffering fills Jesus with horror…Peter, writing later, says that Jesus ‘was bearing our sins in his own body on the cross’ (1 Peter 2:24)” (Zondervan Handbook of the Bible, p.575). Despite his vehement prayers, Jesus ultimately submits and God’s plan is still carried out.
Understanding-What does it mean? My son, Ezekiel, suffers from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). He also has some food allergies. And so, he really shouldn’t be eating certain foods that irritate his stomach and that he is allergic to, like wheat, dairy, and eggs. We learned this when he was four years old. And do you know what four year old boys like to eat? I can give you a short list: pizza, macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly. These all include at least two of the three foods he is allergic to, and I haven’t even begun on desserts.
Having to suffer through this with Ezekiel has been a painful, but effective, object lesson in why we sometimes have to hear the word “no” when we earnestly pray for something. It hurts to see the look on Ezekiel’s face at a birthday party when he can’t have cake. It’s not fun having to forego pizza as a family, because of the way it hurts his stomach. But, I know these are good things for him to abstain from. Just like God knows the things that are best for us.
Something else I have learned in having kids, is that I love to hear their stories. I also love when they want to spend time with me, especially if it is doing a mundane task. It can get really annoying if the only things coming out of their mouths is, “Can I have a…? I want a… I need it now.” And so, I know our heavenly father feels the same way. C.S. Lewis writes, “Prayer in the sense of petitions, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine. In it God shows Himself to us. That he answers prayers is a corollary- not necessarily the most important one- from that revelation” (The World’s Last Night, p. 7).
Matthew_ 25
Deborah Lee