|
This is part of our Thursday series on the encounters with the Risen Savior that are shared in the four gospels. Today’s encounter is shared with us by Matthew. In Matthew 28:16-20 it says: But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Jesus had asked the disciples to meet Him on a mountain in Galilee. Church tradition and most scholars believe that the mountain they met on was Mount Arbel which is on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. Not only was this mountain right in the middle of where Jesus spent so much of his ministry, but they could also see many of the surrounding nations which would be important to what Jesus was about to ask of them. Jesus chose this spot, and the disciples listened and obeyed. I love that verse 17 tells us that “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him.” Worship is the natural response to seeing the Risen Savior. When we truly see Him and grasp who He is and what He has done, it’s hard to do anything other than worship. So the question becomes, are we truly seeing Him? Are we too distracted by life’s demands, pressures, pleasures, or difficulties that we’ve stopped really looking at Him? Has our thinking about Him become skewed so that we’re seeing a distorted image of who He is? If worship seems challenging, it’s probably because we aren’t truly seeing Him. So how do we fix that? We go back to really looking for Him to truly see Him. He doesn’t make it difficult for us. We can start off in the gospel books reading them not for what we can get out of it, but reading them asking Him to show us who He is so we can see Him clearly. We don’t have to stop with just the four books of the gospel either, we can see Him clearly all throughout Scripture. The disciples had seen Jesus. They worshipped Jesus. Then they listened to Him. The challenge that Jesus gave them in verses 19-20 is frequently referred to as the Great Commission because He was authorizing them to fulfill a specific task. We see that authorization in verse 18 when Jesus explains that He has all authority. Because the authority belongs to Him, He can authorize His disciples to carry out what He is about to ask. Jesus asked the disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations. Standing on that mountain seeing land and nations as far as the eye could see probably just drove this point home. They were to go into all of these areas, and beyond, and make disciples. They had spent the last three years learning to be His disciples, and now they were to go and help others do the same. Jesus even gave them some specifics in how to accomplish this. They were to baptize them and teach them not just to know but to follow all that Jesus had taught them. And then Jesus ended with this very important statement: “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This Great Commission that He had just given them probably seemed daunting in the moment. It would seem even more so in many ways in the days to come as they faced persecution and the daily pressures of leading this new movement that would come to be known as the Church. Knowing that Jesus was with them and would be with them always would be so necessary for them to be able to stay focused on the mission He gave. The same is true for us. This Great Commission wasn’t given just for the disciples on that mountain that day. It is something that all of us as disciples of Jesus have been called to do. If it was just for those disciples, then there would have been no more disciples within a generation or two of their deaths, but we know that was not the case because we are here today. We are followers of Christ, His disciples, because someone was faithful to listen and obey His command to go and make disciples and they taught us. If we say that we are following Him, then that means we are listening to Him and doing what He asks. He has asked us to make disciples. We have a purpose and calling. We each do this in different ways and reach different people, but it is a mission that we have all been given. Just like the disciples on the mountain though, Jesus promises that He will always be with us. When we are struggling, when the challenge seems too daunting, remember to take time to truly see Him as you go and make disciples.
0 Comments
This is the sixth in our series of Holy Week devotionals.
Today we are looking at the final day of Jesus’s life before His death, burial and resurrection. This is the day often referred to as Good Friday. I struggle with that name sometimes. I know that ultimately this day is very good for us as believers. Jesus’s death led to His ultimate defeat over the grave and our salvation from sin. There is no doubt about that being not just good, but miraculously great! However, when we look at what Jesus went through to make that happen, good is not the word that comes to mind. Horrific gets a little closer, disturbing even. Let’s let Scripture share what He went through today. “So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.” John 18:12-13 “Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any.” Mark 14:55 “Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, ‘Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?’” Matthew 26:67-68 “Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.” Matthew 27:1-2 “But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. But the governor said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ And they said, ‘Barabbas.’ Pilate said to them, ‘Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Crucify Him!’ And he said, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’ But they kept shouting all the more, saying, ‘Crucify Him!’” Matthew 27:20-23 “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.” Matthew 27:27-31 “Then they brought Him to the pace Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.” Mark 15:22 “And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. It was the third hour when they crucified Him. The inscription of the charge against Him read, ‘THE KING OF THE JEWS.’” Mark 15:24-26 “And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, ‘He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him, He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’’ The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.” Matthew 27:39-44 “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ That is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” Matthew 27:46 “And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.” Mark 15:37 He chose to go through all of this for you and for me because “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 This is the fifth in our series of Holy Week devotionals. Today we are looking at Jesus’s time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Yesterday we talked about what Jesus chose to do for his last meal before His death. Today we pick up right after the meal during the final moments before His arrest. In Matthew 26:36-39 it says: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.’ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying,’ My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’ “My soul is deeply grieved.” Have you been there? Maybe not quite to the point Jesus was here. In Luke’s description of these events, He said Jesus was in agony to the point of sweating drops of blood. That is a level of grief that few if any of us ever experience, but we do experience grief. Our souls do ache with grief at times. So what do we do when that happens? If we follow Jesus’s example, we spend time with the Father. We pour out our grieving souls to Him. We plead with Him. But ultimately we submit ourselves, our will, to Him. We don’t deny our feelings. We don’t deny our hopes and wishes, but we trust that His will, His plan, is better than ours even if we don’t understand it. The disciples certainly didn’t understand His will in this. Not only did they keep falling asleep when Jesus was asking them to stay alert and pray, but they didn’t understand that He was about to willingly lay down His life because that had been the plan from the very beginning. We read in Matthew chapter 26 verses 49-54: Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, ‘Hail, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him. And Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you have come for.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?’ Jesus reminds the disciples of something that He’d been trying to explain to them for quite some time: The Scriptures told of the suffering and death that was ahead of Him. Although the disciples had not been able to wrap their minds around it, this had been God’s plan all along. He had sent His only Son into the world to be the ultimate sacrifice to reconcile us to God once again. Throughout the Old Testament there was Scripture after Scripture giving glimpses of God’s plan. None were clearer than the words of Isaiah 53: For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He allowed Himself to be arrested to fulfill the Scriptures. He was allowing Himself to face what Isaiah described because He was submitting to God’s will. God was willing for Him to suffer and die because of His great love for us. Take some time to think about that and let it really soak in today. God loves you that much. This is the fourth in our series of Holy Week devotionals. Today we are looking at the Passover or Lord’s Supper passage. Some of you might be thinking isn’t that supposed to be on Thursday and that is correct, but from the time the Passover began on Thursday evening until Jesus’s body was laid in the tomb in the early evening of Friday a lot happened. In order to have more time, we’re starting with the Passover today. This is another account that can be found in each of the four gospels with John spending the most time describing so many of the things Jesus taught the disciples during that meal including the lesson He demonstrated by washing their feet. Here is how Luke describes it though in chapter 22 verses 14-20. When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.’ And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured our for you is the new covenant in My blood.’ This is a beautiful passage showing us Jesus’s last meal before His death. Even now we make a big deal over final meals. Death-row inmates are given the opportunity for a special meal before their executions. We even talk at times about what our choices would be for our last meal if we could choose. Jesus did choose. He chose to be gathered with His closest friends and disciples in a small borrowed room celebrating one of the most important holiday festival meals on the Jewish calendar. This wasn’t just any last meal. It would be like us having a last meal with those closest to us on Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was that big of a deal. The Passover was a very important holiday for them. Understanding the Passover better helps us understand the significance of this meal and all that was to come in the next few days. The Passover celebration was instituted by God as a remembrance of His deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. We can see so much symbolism in the origin of Passover in Exodus 12:1-14 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover. For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance. For his final meal, Jesus chose to celebrate this Passover meal with his disciples. In a meal celebrating God’s deliverance from Egypt with the blood of an unblemished lamb, Jesus tells His closest friends that the broken bread and the cup representing the blood of the lamb, were His body and blood. As they sat there celebrating God’s beautiful redemption that freed them from slavery years before, little did they realize that before the sun set again, Jesus’s own body would be broken and His blood shed to free them from the slavery of sin and reconcile them to God. Jesus chose to spend His final meal with His disciples sharing this powerful transition from the temporary sacrifices of lambs to cover the punishment for sin to the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb to pay the punishment for my sin and yours. Thank you Jesus! |
AuthorTracy Newcomb Archives
August 2026
Categories
All
|