Monday, October 6
Luke 15:11-32
Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”
This week we’re continuing our focus on important passages in the Bible by looking at six significant passages in the New Testament.
The story of the Prodigal Son is one that shares the many dimensions of the ministry of Jesus. If one story would describe Jesus, this story would be the one.
We can learn so much about God and about ourselves from each character.
The father in the story went out of his way to welcome the younger brother. He threw out convention by running (probably sprinting as fast as he could) to meet his younger son when he saw him coming back. We can experience the pathos of God in his action.
We can easily criticize the older brother for his lack of acceptance of the younger brother’s return. But all of us who frequently go to church must be on guard that our hearts unknowingly become hard like the older brother’s heart. We can find ourselves acting like the older brother.
And the younger brother’s reliance on grace is inspirational—and not easy for many of us. If it wasn’t for the younger brother’s willingness to act on the possibility of grace, he would not have been accepted. Would we put grace ahead of everything else in our lives?
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
Tuesday, October 7
Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”
“Whatever you do to the least of these my brethren, you do it to me.” These words from Matthew 25 are a clarion call to all followers of Jesus about what is most important.
What is most important to Jesus is how we treat those who are outcasts.
The question that was posed to Jesus is relevant for each of us.
“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
These words are consistent with the letter of James, “faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)
The command of Jesus in this verse is obvious. We’re not called to change the world as individuals, but we can join others to help those who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, in need of clothes, sick, or in prison.
As you pray today, reflect on how you can take the next step in living out this Scripture.
What are your thoughts about this Scripture? Please share.
Wednesday, October 8
Mark 11:1-11
When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this: ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said, and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
The story of Jesus entering Jerusalem is the story that starts the last week of the life of Jesus. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a colt. Some thought that this act of Jesus was one of a king getting ready to claim his throne. It fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9.
But as we know, Jesus was a different kind of king. He came to establish his basilea, (his kingdom or realm)
We can see a picture of this basilea in this story. As a king, Jesus wasn’t trying to conquer anyone. He didn’t wear the clothes of warrior. He didn’t come into Jerusalem on a chariot, but a simple donkey. He came peacefully and not with weapons.
We can almost feel the spiritual energy of the story as the followers of Jesus cry, “Hosanna.”
As you pray today, shout Hosanna to God. It is a way to welcome Jesus into your day.
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
Thursday, October 9
John 17:20-26
“I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.”
The high-priestly prayer as recorded in John 17 is one of the most important prayers in the Bible. If you have some extra time today, read the entire chapter.
One of the petitions of Jesus in the prayer is that his followers would be one. They would be unified and not divided.
It’s hard to look at the church today and say that this petition of Jesus has come true. One church still exists—but the church is divided into three branches (Orthodox, Catholic & Protestant) and many denominations.
But at the center of all these expressions of faith is Jesus. So even though the church is divided, we still can hope that we find unity in Jesus.
Last Sunday people all across the world celebrated Word-wide Communion Sunday. This is one way to celebrate the unity desired by Jesus in this prayer.
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
Friday, October 10
John 19:16-37
So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross by himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,
“They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth, so that you also may continue to believe.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
The crucifixion of Jesus is the worst story of the Bible. It’s a story that is hard to read. Seeing evil play out is always hard.
The story is so difficult that it can cause us to be silent. One way to respond to this story is to sit in silence and focus on the death of Jesus. And before we do this, it’s appropriate to ask God for strength.
The spiritual reflects the pathos of this story.
“Were you there, when they crucified my Lord?
Where you there, when they crucified my Lord?
Oh. Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there, when they crucified my Lord?”
Saturday, October 11
Luke 24:1-12
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Thankfully the story didn’t end with Jesus’ dead body on the cross. Good Friday is good because of what happened two days later.
The women disciples showed tremendous courage by coming to the tomb. They were willing to do this even though it was dangerous. The male disciples didn’t accompany them.
The message of the angel is the message of the gospel. “Why do you look for the living among the dead. He is not here. He is risen!
The resurrection gives us hope that death and suffering do not have the final word. Even if we find ourselves in a difficult place today, we can still have hope. The resurrection is our source of hope!!
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.
