THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:45-53 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) At this precise moment, we are standing at the center of human history. Think of the fall into sin (Genesis 3) as a high speed shift from ‘Drive’ to ‘Reverse’. Here we are witnessing a high speed shift into ‘Drive’ again….
Category: daily meditations
In the same way as Jesus?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:38-44 “In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.” (Matthew 27:41) Matthew shows how religious leaders are no better than the rebels, mocking “in the same way” (v.44). They belittle His faith in God, but they only reveal their own bankrupt faith. Does…
Do I want to know Jesus like this?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:32-37 “A man from Cyrene named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross” (Matthew 27:32) I want to be a servant of Jesus, my King. But do I want to join Him if it means helping Him carry His cross? Jesus called His disciples to join him in cross-carrying (Matthew 16:24)….
Could I be like this?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:27-31 “Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’” (Matthew 27:29) I have a huge sensitivity to suffering. I can’t see myself doing this — shaming someone, spitting on them, beating them. What happens to a person to make them capable of this, and could…
‘Its going to blow!!!’
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 38 “My guilt has become too much for me. It is a load too heavy to carry.” (Psalm 38:4) David is in a bad place: physically, mentally, emotionally and socially tormented. He traces the cause to his immoral choices, his doing something that he knows is wrong. And now he feels the…
Not safe but good!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Samuel 4-7 “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” (1 Samuel 6:20) God cannot be tamed or used for our purposes. Israel thought God’s ‘ark’ would guarantee them victory in battle. The Philistines thought that God’s ‘ark’ would submit to their god. No one in this story was able…
Faithful in my place!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Samuel 1-3 “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind.” (1 Samuel 2:35) This story offers a summary of the story of creation, and our need for Jesus. God created us to be His priests, His representatives on earth. But like…
I am response-able!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:20-26 “‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’” (Matthew 27:24) Who is responsible for what happened to Jesus? In one sense Pilate and the Jewish leaders are responsible, but more importantly we all are. Each one of us faces the death penalty because we are responsible…
The Spirit is already at work!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:11-19 “That innocent man… for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” (Matthew 27:19) I find something very encouraging in this story about Pilate’s wife. She is a Gentile, she has no interest in a Jewish messiah, and yet God speaks to her in a dream….
A desire for integrity!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 27:6-10 “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” (Matthew 27:6) It is ironic to hear the religious leaders talk about ‘against the law’. This blood money was the money they paid to have Jesus betrayed. Their hands are already stained, this act of…