#John18 #John19 - The darkest day in history

Click here to read John 18-19:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?


These two chapters flow seamlessly together to tell the story of Jesus' arrest, trial, crucifixion, death and burial. This is the fourth gospel I have now gone through, and this is the fourth account of this part of the story I have read recently. It's not fun. It's hard to read how cruel the leaders were to Jesus, how hard-hearted they were towards God, and how persistently they persecuted him. It was not a pretty picture. In fact, it's safe to say that it was the darkest day in history. There have been others, but putting the Son of God to death seems to top them all. Despite the fact that it was his plan to allow himself to be killed, it was still the sin of all people that he bore on the cross. It's easy to see the ugliness in the people who were plotting against him and shouting "Crucify," but it reminds me that there is an ugly part of me (my sinful nature) that I still need God to take away and transform.

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

Pilate wrote a sign above Jesus that said "The King of the Jews." The Jewish leaders didn't like it, because they wanted it to say, "This man claimed to be the king of the Jews." But Pilate refused to change it. While here on earth Jesus talked a lot about his kingdom and the Father's kingdom, but he doesn't directly claim to be the king. However, in Revelation 17:14 and 19:16, Jesus is given the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords that he deserves.

3. What does this mean for my life?

On the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas and deserted by the other disciples, he was denied by Peter, one of his closest friends. I think about Peter a lot, how he made bold claims to follow Jesus to the end and fight for him at all costs. Still he ended up denying Christ three times. I feel like that sometimes. I am bold about my faith in Christ at times, and other times I may shy away from sharing it. I want to be not ashamed of the gospel, as Paul says in Romans 1:16, but I am thankful that Jesus even uses someone like Peter to grow the church.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

My biggest question is, "Did Pilate really believe in Jesus?" In this account, it seemed like he almost became a believer in who Jesus was, but felt powerless to do anything besides sentence him to death. Still, he was the one who had to make the decision, and he caved into the pressure of the crowds.

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

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#Mark15 - It's To Die For!!!

Click here to read Mark 15:

In this chapter describing the trial, mocking, and death of Jesus, the story speaks for itself. I have a few quick thoughts. Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God." It took me awhile to figure out what joy would possibly drive him to endure what we see in Mark 15. It could be the glory of the resurrection and the thought of rising back into heaven, but I think the joy is something different. I think the joy is us. I believe the thought of you and me being able to be forgiven of our sins and truly restored in a relationship with our heavenly father is the joy that was set before Jesus.

So the famous line from The Lion King that made the title of today's blog begs the question, "What is to die for?" or rather "Who is to die for?" For God, the answer was obviously the possibility that we could be in a relationship with him. We were worth dying for to God. Is God worth dying for to us? Or even more importantly, is God worth living for to us?

A sobering Scripture passage for the day. Those are my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you, and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

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#Matthew27 - THE KING OF THE JEWS

Click here to read Matthew 27:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

Pontius Pilate is a fascinating part of this story. He questions Jesus, finds no fault in him. He is caught between a rock (or more aptly THE ROCK) and a hard place. Should he sentence an innocent man to death to please the people and prevent an uprising, or should he release Jesus? He in turn does the most diplomatic thing to do - please the people, kill Jesus, but wash his hands of the guilt and place the guilt of it on the Jews who were demanding it. One detail that is really intriguing about his actions is how he places the sign above Jesus that reads THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. In the Gospel of John, chapter 19, he shares that the leaders of the Jews actually objected to this sign. They wanted it to read, "He claimed to be the king of the Jews," but Pilate left the sign as it was. This little tidbit almost leads me to believe that Pilate had some level of faith in Christ. We will never truly know.

2. How does this passage relate to any other Scripture I know?

Well, this part of Jesus's life, death and resurrection are recorded by all four of the gospel writers. Each account varies slightly in that different details are included. This makes total sense though since the four writers would have had four different perspectives of the events in the chapter - whether witnessing them firsthand or recording down what they heard from firsthand witnesses. It is really interesting to read this account in each of the four gospels. The others can be found in Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and John 18-20,

3. What does this mean for my life?

It's always easy for me to read this story and get really angry with the Jews and the soldiers for betraying and killing Jesus. But when I take a closer look and try to imagine myself in the crowd, I wonder if I might also be one to yell, "Crucify Him!" It would have been easy to be self-righteous and go along with the crowd in doing so. One thing I know for sure, even if it wouldn't have been my voice that led to his crucifixion, it would have surely been my sin. One of the lines in a favorite modern hymn, "How Deep the Father's Love For Us," reads like this, "It was my sin that held him there, until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life; I know that it is finished."

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

So the Jewish leaders, the chief priests and Pharisees, convinced Pilate to seal the tomb and secure it by posting a guard. This makes the resurrection story even more believable, because if it didn't happen the way the Bible says, there would have been plenty of witnesses. I mean, it would have been obvious if the disciples had overcome this troop of soldier guards, out smarted the Pharisees, and stolen Jesus's body. Besides, the Bible itself basically says the disciples were gathered together in hiding - mostly because of fear. My question is, even after all this and after the resurrection happens, "WHY DIDN'T THE JEWISH LEADERS BELIEVE?" That is crazy.

Looking forward to finishing up the gospel of Matthew tomorrow. I'll be moving on to the gospel of Mark after that. I hope you'll join me. God bless, and keep digging in.

In Christ,
Dan

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