October 11 - Prophecy: Mocking God

Promise: Isaiah 50:6Fulfillment: Matthew 26:67

I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6 ESV)

In about 700 B.C. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be mocked, beaten, spit upon, and that his beard would be plucked out. In the early hours of his arrest—all the way until the moment of his final breath—he endured ridicule, scorn, brutality, and disrespect from Jews and Romans alike. The Spirit of God spoke through the prophet Isaiah concerning these things, and then experienced the actual event itself as the Son of God.

Have you ever mocked someone or bullied someone? I remember all-too-well what it was like to be on the receiving end of both. It can be horrible. Jesus received both in brutal fashion. As grounded as he was in his identity I can't imagine the words having a very lasting affect on him, except that he must have felt compassion for the ignorance of those who were to unknowingly visit atrocities upon God Himself.

God will not be diminished by the verbal jabs of a blind mob. But our words can deeply affect others. If there is one part of my life that God has truly been working on in the last several months it is a push to be more encouraging and positive in my speech. Because after all, shouldn't I treat others how I would treat Jesus?

September 18 - Prophecy: Silver

Promise: Zechariah 11:12-13Fulfillment: Matthew 26:14-15

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 26:14, 15 ESV)

Prophecy can be a tricky thing. Some people start to get really weird and strange when they talk about it. But the cool thing that Biblical prophecy does over and over again through both the Old and New Testament, is confirm that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be.

Sometime around 500 B.C. the Old Testament prophet Zechariah foretold that the one who betrayed the Messiah would be paid thirty pieces of silver for handing him over to the authorities. Zechariah wrote about things that he could not have possibly understood or imagined without divine inspiration. It was more than an educated guess. It was foreknowledge granted by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus' disciple Judas was the guy who handled the money for the ministry. He mist have been in love with money in order to betray Jesus like he did. Thirty pieces of silver was the price he got for betraying Jesus. But Jesus paid far more than that for you and I.

If there is one thing that I can take away from this story beyond the confirmation that prophecy brings—it is that you and I have value to God. Yes, Jesus was betrayed for what seems like a paltry amount of money. But that isn't the point. The point is that through his cheap betrayal, he was willing to sacrifice something of an incalculable value for a people that he believed was worth it.

God thinks you were worth it. That's pretty cool. To Him you are far more important than some silver. You are even more important to Him than His own life.

September 17 - Prophecy: Betrayal

Promise: Psalm 41:9Fulfillment: Matthew 26:47-56

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. (Psalm 41:9 ESV)

And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. (Matthew 26:49, 50 ESV)

Prophecy can be a tricky thing. Some people start to get really weird and strange when they talk about it. But the cool thing that Biblical prophecy does over and over again through both the Old and New Testament, is confirm that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be.

1,000 years before Jesus was born in a manger the Jewish king David prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed by a friend. Judas became the embodiment of that prophecy. Mere hours after having sat at the table with him for what theologians call The Last Supper, Judas showed up with a mob in the Garden to arrest Christ.

Have you ever been betrayed? Have you ever had a good friend just completely let you down? Probably. Life is messy, relationships are messy, and bad things happen. People are imperfect.

Jesus was, and is, perfection personified and he was still betrayed. He still felt the horrible hurt associated with rejection and betrayal. It helps me to know that my savior can identify with my problems. He isn't some aloof out of touch spirit that is disconnected from present reality. He walked the earth. He lived breathed, laughed, cried, and hurt. He identifies with my pain. And he went through pain of his own to help me through.

August 29 - As You Will

Matthew 26:36-46

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39 ESV)

The will is a powerful thing. There are moments in life when strength is diminished, opportunity is dwindling, or resources are exhausted. In those moments it seems as though will alone is what can carry you through to completion. Unfortunately we all too often focus our will on something selfish. We spend ourselves on something that is less than that which God intended for us.

Jesus knew what weighed in the balance. As he cried out to God the Father from the garden that night long ago he expressed his desire to be spared a terrible ordeal. Yet, he also communicated his truthful yearning to see God's will through to the intended result.

It took the will of the Son to bring about the will of the Father. And I really believe that there are moments and opportunities in life where God allows us to experience what it means to partner our will with His will. I think there are things God intends to happen in our lives that can be hastened along when we take our will and subject it to His. Sometimes our most powerful prayer is, "not as I will, but as You will."

August 28 - Though They All

Matthew 26:30-35

Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” (Matthew 26:33 ESV)

I really like Peter a lot. Mostly it is because I feel like I understand him. He made a lot of mistakes but seemed to genuinely want to do the right thing almost all of the time.

When Jesus was telling his disciples that they were all about to abandon him Peter piped up to claim that he would never waiver in his loyalty. It was a wonderful sentiment. It was a wholesale rejection of the kind of apparent peer pressure we are usually conditioned against. Too bad it didn't okay out that way.

Peter did scatter with the rest. He even went so far as to betray Christ by denying his standing as a disciple. It was a tragic moment for Peter. Thank God his story didn't end there! Peter was so sorrowful and repentant after his betrayal. Ultimately he was forgiven. And eventually he went on to lead the church. What could have been a tragic end became a hopeful beginning.

And Jesus offers each of us that same beginning. We all like to think we are above betrayal. We talk really big. But we have our moments. We aren't perfect. And we need the loving grace of God Almighty to restore us, encourage us, and point us in the right direction.

August 24 - Drink of It

Matthew:26-17-29

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you..." (Matthew 26:27 ESV)

During his final meal with all of the disciples Jesus instituted what has since come to be known as Communion. It is observed as a way to remember the sacrifice that Christ made. He said a prayer of thanksgiving, and then passed the cup of wine for his followers to drink.

Jesus wanted them to drink from the cup. Why? A room full of people sharing a cup sounds kind of gross to our way of thinking. But the significance behind the act goes far beyond hygiene or etiquette. The cup he was passing was a symbolic reference to the blood he was about to shed in sacrifice. He was installing the idea that it is only by his blood that salvation comes.

Jesus' blood is the catalyst for our salvation. It is because of his sacrificial death that we have the opportunity to experience renewed life with God. It is only ours when we drink from the cup he offers, not a literal cup, but an offering of life, death, and resurrection into life.

July 16 - A Beautiful Thing

Matthew 26:6-13

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. (Matthew 26:10 ESV)

Shortly before his murder Jesus was traveling through Bethany, the home of his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, while on his way to Jerusalem. As he enjoyed their hospitality his friend Mary anointed him with a very costly perfume. It was a beautiful, and incredibly selfless, act of worship.

I remember hearing missionaries speak on occasion as I grew up. They would often tell amazing stories of sacrifice and service. The mission field seemed a place ripe with opportunities for selfless acts of worship. In my own life it always seemed to be an incredibly easy thing to love Jesus. It wasn't until early adulthood that I was faced with a situation where worshipping and serving Christ actually cost me something.

Many people the world over are faced with great difficulty in serving Jesus. Their culture, political environment, or familial situation may make it dangerous to openly worship Christ. Still, millions around the world offer their worship to him. Like Mary at Bethany, they understand he is worth all of their sacrifice.

Jesus is worthy of all that we can give him. Our worship, our adoration, our service—all of these things bring us near to him. Extravagant worship is a beautiful thing in the eyes of God.