February 12, 2024
‘Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”’ (Matthew 27:22 ESV). The Roman Governor Pilate asked the crowd to answer this question for him. He sought to avoid making a decision about Jesus, but his plan backfired. The crowd’s surprising support of the criminal Barabbas left Pilate still
February 10, 2024
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53 ESV). When Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and was being arrested, the gospel of Matthew reported that one of those with Jesus drew his sword and cut off a
February 9, 2024
“But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” (Matthew 26:32 ESV). Jesus said this to His disciples to encourage them. For He had already warned them that they would all stumble and scatter that very night. Yet He wanted them to look past His coming betrayal, crucifixion and death, and
February 6, 2024
“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34 ESV). Many have pointed to this verse to say that Jesus got it wrong. For the generation to which Jesus spoke has passed and the end has not yet come. Even C.S. Lewis, the normally staunch
February 5, 2024
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14 ESV). When the disciples asked Jesus to give them details about His second coming and the end of the age, He replied that one of the signs would
February 4, 2024
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25 ESV). Jesus accused the Pharisees of hypocrisy. For they emphasized outward expressions of holiness without any true heart change. The Pharisees had added dozens of rules
February 2, 2024
‘But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”‘ (Matthew 22:29 ESV). Jesus rebuked the Sadducees for not knowing God’s Word, nor God’s power. Who were the Sadducees? They were a Jewish religious sect that existed during the first century and consisted of a wealthy ruling
January 31, 2024
‘And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”’ (Matthew 20:32 ESV). Jesus was on his way up to Jerusalem for the Passover, headed for his preordained appointment with the cross. With all the weight of what lay before him, he still stopped to heal two blind men
January 29, 2024
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24 ESV). After a rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what good thing he must do to have eternal life, the Lord told him
January 28, 2024 | Matthew 20:25-28
We live in a day when many of us are drifting along without a guiding purpose in life. Or we’ve bought into the culture’s idea that happiness and fulfillment come from self gratification, of owning material things and having exciting experiences. Yet we still come up feeling empty and unfulfilled. Or we think that being successful, or being the greatest at something will fulfill us. But as many who have achieved worldly success have said, “It’s lonely at the top.” Because they left behind family or stepped on or over friends while climbing the so-called ladder of success. So how do find our purpose? How do we find ourselves?
Jesus says that the way to greatness, the way to leadership, is serving others. Jesus calls us to be servant leaders. In the book of Matthew, the mother of James and John asked Jesus to give her sons seats of authority in His kingdom. Jesus answered that leadership in His kingdom meant first becoming a servant. We can follow Christ’s call to servant leadership.