March 17-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:1-5, When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
Observe what it is saying.
Jesus fully understood what was ahead. How could the Son of God, using the prophetic title of Son of Man, be killed in such a horrific manner? As Jesus warned His disciples of what was coming, the religious leaders were actually meeting together to plot His death. These were not low-level, disgruntled priests but those at the highest level, including the high priest and chief priests. They were fearful they were losing their power over the people. Evidently, the Son of God was such a threat to their corrupted religious authority that He had to be taken out at just the right time. I wonder if the body of Christ may be rebelling against its Head today? Am I personally rebelling against Jesus without even realizing it?
Relate it to your life.
The church, including me, must humble itself under the authority of Christ in every possible matter.
Do something.
“Jesus, reveal to me where I need to surrender myself to your full authority over my life today. Amen.”
March 18-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:6-9, While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Observe what it is saying.
This is one of the most extravagant gifts Jesus ever received. It was costly. It was outlandish. It was an act demonstrating love and appreciation for who Jesus was and what He had done to bring new life to this woman. The disciples could not grasp such radical generosity. In fact, they became angry and thought that it would have been better for the perfume to have been sold so the poor could have been provided for. As a general rule, they were right to think providing for the poor would have been good stewardship. However, there are times when we are overcome with our love for the Lord that we cannot help but show it with such outlandish worship. Tomorrow, we discover there was another reason as well.
Relate it to your life.
What is the most outlandish act of love you have shown to the Lord Jesus?
Do something.
“Jesus, may I not hold back in demonstrating my love and appreciation for who You are and what You have done for me. Amen.”
March 19-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:10-13, Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Observe what it is saying.
Picking up from yesterday, Jesus responded to the disciples who criticized the woman for showing such extravagant worship. In fact, Jesus revealed that her outrageous display of love accomplished even more than anyone could see or know. We should not be mistaken. Jesus was not telling them or us not to care for the poor. This was a one-time exclusive opportunity to show her appreciation which provided a greater purpose of preparing Jesus for His burial. When we act with such generosity out of love for the Lord, we may never know the full extent of what our worship accomplishes down the line. It may provide greater eternal results than we will ever know on this side of heaven.
Relate it to your life.
To worship with such extravagant generosity will always have the greatest eternal return.
Do something.
“Jesus, break open my heart so that my love may pour out in worship to You. Amen.”
March 20-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:14-16, Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Observe what it is saying.
Did Jesus’ understanding of the use of the expensive perfume send Judas over the edge or did he not accept the fact that Jesus was not going to lead a literal rebellion to help overthrow Rome? Whatever the impetus was, he went to the chief priests who had already been plotting Jesus’ murder. They gladly accepted his offer, and Judas accepted their payment plan. Thirty pieces of silver. This was the equivalent of about four months’ minimum wages. He sold out the Son of God for a few weeks of income. How could he do such an evil act? The humiliation Christ willingly endured as God in flesh is beyond our wildest imagination. And yet do we ever treat Jesus in the same way? Do we trade our worship of Him for the worship of entertainment, comfort, pleasure, possessions, power, politics, pride, etc?
Relate it to your life.
Like Judas, I, also, sell Jesus out for mere pennies when I choose not to worship Him above all else.
Do something.
“Jesus, I confess I put other stuff ahead of You. I repent and return to worshiping You alone. Amen.”
March 21-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:17-19, On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
Observe what it is saying.
Who was the unnamed man’s house where they ate the Passover? He evidently knew Jesus. The disciples were to identify Jesus as “the Teacher” to him. Had he sat under Jesus’ teaching? Was he a peripheral disciple? There are many questions in which we do not have answers. What we do know is that he was willing to open his home to Jesus and His disciples where he gained a front row seat to the most important meal in history. The very meal in which Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion. This reminds us that our generous acts of hospitality just may open the door for others to enter and dine with Jesus! Hospitality is understood to be an indispensable act for spreading the gospel.
Relate it to your life.
Would I have said Yes for Jesus and His disciples to use my house for their meal?
Do something.
“Jesus, open my heart and my home so that others may know You. Amen.”
March 22-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:20-24, When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” 23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Observe what it is saying.
They celebrated the Passover together which was the most important festival on their calendar as it commemorated God’s deliverance of His people out of Egypt through many miraculous interventions. They didn’t know that the greatest deliverance for all of humanity was about to happen the next day at the cross. Jesus quickly brought the mood down as he announced one of them was his betrayer. Surprisingly, each of them sadly asked if they were the one. Did they all see deep within themselves that they might have the propensity to betray their Lord? As we look deep within and are honest with ourselves, are we just as prone to betray the Lord we love?
Relate it to your life.
We must humbly examine our hearts to ensure we are not betraying our Lord through our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
Do something.
“Prone to wander Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart, oh, take and seal it with Thy Spirit from above. Amen.”
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:1-5, When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
Observe what it is saying.
Jesus fully understood what was ahead. How could the Son of God, using the prophetic title of Son of Man, be killed in such a horrific manner? As Jesus warned His disciples of what was coming, the religious leaders were actually meeting together to plot His death. These were not low-level, disgruntled priests but those at the highest level, including the high priest and chief priests. They were fearful they were losing their power over the people. Evidently, the Son of God was such a threat to their corrupted religious authority that He had to be taken out at just the right time. I wonder if the body of Christ may be rebelling against its Head today? Am I personally rebelling against Jesus without even realizing it?
Relate it to your life.
The church, including me, must humble itself under the authority of Christ in every possible matter.
Do something.
“Jesus, reveal to me where I need to surrender myself to your full authority over my life today. Amen.”
March 18-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:6-9, While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Observe what it is saying.
This is one of the most extravagant gifts Jesus ever received. It was costly. It was outlandish. It was an act demonstrating love and appreciation for who Jesus was and what He had done to bring new life to this woman. The disciples could not grasp such radical generosity. In fact, they became angry and thought that it would have been better for the perfume to have been sold so the poor could have been provided for. As a general rule, they were right to think providing for the poor would have been good stewardship. However, there are times when we are overcome with our love for the Lord that we cannot help but show it with such outlandish worship. Tomorrow, we discover there was another reason as well.
Relate it to your life.
What is the most outlandish act of love you have shown to the Lord Jesus?
Do something.
“Jesus, may I not hold back in demonstrating my love and appreciation for who You are and what You have done for me. Amen.”
March 19-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:10-13, Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Observe what it is saying.
Picking up from yesterday, Jesus responded to the disciples who criticized the woman for showing such extravagant worship. In fact, Jesus revealed that her outrageous display of love accomplished even more than anyone could see or know. We should not be mistaken. Jesus was not telling them or us not to care for the poor. This was a one-time exclusive opportunity to show her appreciation which provided a greater purpose of preparing Jesus for His burial. When we act with such generosity out of love for the Lord, we may never know the full extent of what our worship accomplishes down the line. It may provide greater eternal results than we will ever know on this side of heaven.
Relate it to your life.
To worship with such extravagant generosity will always have the greatest eternal return.
Do something.
“Jesus, break open my heart so that my love may pour out in worship to You. Amen.”
March 20-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:14-16, Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Observe what it is saying.
Did Jesus’ understanding of the use of the expensive perfume send Judas over the edge or did he not accept the fact that Jesus was not going to lead a literal rebellion to help overthrow Rome? Whatever the impetus was, he went to the chief priests who had already been plotting Jesus’ murder. They gladly accepted his offer, and Judas accepted their payment plan. Thirty pieces of silver. This was the equivalent of about four months’ minimum wages. He sold out the Son of God for a few weeks of income. How could he do such an evil act? The humiliation Christ willingly endured as God in flesh is beyond our wildest imagination. And yet do we ever treat Jesus in the same way? Do we trade our worship of Him for the worship of entertainment, comfort, pleasure, possessions, power, politics, pride, etc?
Relate it to your life.
Like Judas, I, also, sell Jesus out for mere pennies when I choose not to worship Him above all else.
Do something.
“Jesus, I confess I put other stuff ahead of You. I repent and return to worshiping You alone. Amen.”
March 21-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:17-19, On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
Observe what it is saying.
Who was the unnamed man’s house where they ate the Passover? He evidently knew Jesus. The disciples were to identify Jesus as “the Teacher” to him. Had he sat under Jesus’ teaching? Was he a peripheral disciple? There are many questions in which we do not have answers. What we do know is that he was willing to open his home to Jesus and His disciples where he gained a front row seat to the most important meal in history. The very meal in which Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion. This reminds us that our generous acts of hospitality just may open the door for others to enter and dine with Jesus! Hospitality is understood to be an indispensable act for spreading the gospel.
Relate it to your life.
Would I have said Yes for Jesus and His disciples to use my house for their meal?
Do something.
“Jesus, open my heart and my home so that others may know You. Amen.”
March 22-The Final Week
Write out the Scripture.
Matthew 26:20-24, When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” 23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Observe what it is saying.
They celebrated the Passover together which was the most important festival on their calendar as it commemorated God’s deliverance of His people out of Egypt through many miraculous interventions. They didn’t know that the greatest deliverance for all of humanity was about to happen the next day at the cross. Jesus quickly brought the mood down as he announced one of them was his betrayer. Surprisingly, each of them sadly asked if they were the one. Did they all see deep within themselves that they might have the propensity to betray their Lord? As we look deep within and are honest with ourselves, are we just as prone to betray the Lord we love?
Relate it to your life.
We must humbly examine our hearts to ensure we are not betraying our Lord through our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
Do something.
“Prone to wander Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart, oh, take and seal it with Thy Spirit from above. Amen.”
Posted in Daily Devotionals