November 12 / John 12:20-50; Matthew 26:1-16; Mark 14:1-11; Luke 22:1-6

John 12:20-50;
Matthew 26:1-16; Mark 14:1-11; Luke 22:1-6

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

John 12:24-25

This is not the first time we’ve heard such a thing from Jesus. Consider these other times:

And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Matthew 10:38-39

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Matthew 16:24-26 (cf., Mark 8:34-37; Luke 9:23-25)

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Luke 17:33

Do you think that maybe Jesus thinks this is something we need to hear? Do you think that maybe we each need to die in order to enter into real life? But note that Jesus does not ask of us anything that He Himself is unwilling to do. His own Cross is rapidly approaching!

See also:

One more thing…

A few days ago I gave you all some homework. I explained that, in my opinion, John 12:2-8, Matthew 26:6-13, and Mark 14:3-9 all describe the same event while Luke 7:36-50 depicts a different, much earlier anointing, but I speculate that the cast of characters in these two different events is the same. Your homework was to consider that notion and fill in the blanks between Luke’s account and these later accounts. So, what did you come up with? Here are a few of my thoughts:

  • In Luke, the host is “Simon the Pharisee”. In Matthew and Mark, the host is “Simon the Leper”. If this is the same “Simon”, then our arrogant Pharisee has fallen from his high position to one of outcast. Given that he is now the host, he must have been healed of that leprosy. Who might have healed him? How might Simon’s experience have changed his attitudes, both toward Jesus and toward others?
  • In John, Martha serves the dinner, suggesting that she lives in the house. Is Martha then married to Simon (the host)? Or is she perhaps Simon’s daughter? (If she is Simon’s daughter, then that makes Mary his daughter, too — and Lazarus his son.)
  • In Luke, “the woman” clearly has a bad reputation — certainly in the eyes of Simon the Pharisee. Now consider that this woman is Mary, Martha’s sister (and Simon’s sister-in-law or daughter?). Think about the family dynamics, with Mary as the (repentant) “black sheep” of the family. How might that play into the additional scene where Martha serves and Mary sits at Jesus’ feet in Luke 10:38-42?
  • In Luke, “the woman”, grateful for forgiveness, uses some of the ointment from her alabaster flask to anoint Jesus. She is clearly dedicated to Jesus. Now Mary breaks that alabaster flask (Mark 14:3) and pours out all its contents. Her relationship with Jesus has gone from dedication to total devotion.

By the way, I want to re-emphasize that this is all pure speculation, so there is no basis for dogma here. We need to carefully distinguish between what Scripture actually says and what we imagine. The same goes for various artistic works like The Chosen. I highly recommend that video series, which provides an excellent portrayal of Jesus and His followers. But always keep in mind what bits are truly drawn from Scripture and which are artistic license — and don’t substitute the latter for the former.

November 11 / Matthew 24:36-25:46; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 21:34-38

Matthew 24:36-25:46; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 21:34-38

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24:44 (cf., Luke 12:40)

Are you ready for Christ’s return? Are you awake and watchful? No? Why not? Perhaps you think that since He has delayed thus far that He will continue to delay even longer, maybe indefinitely. Maybe He will delay — or maybe He won’t. You don’t know. But even if He delays another thousand years, you still don’t know when your own final day will come. And we should all recognize that we cannot push that one off indefinitely. So, are you ready?

See also:

November 10 / Matthew 24:1-35; Mark 13:1-31; Luke 21:5-33

Matthew 24:1-35; Mark 13:1-31; Luke 21:5-33

As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:3

The remainder of Matthew 24-25 is Jesus’ response to these questions, and what He says must be puzzling to the disciples. From where we sit, looking back upon the Resurrection and Ascension and 2,000 years of history, we immediately (and properly) interpret “Your coming” as the Second Coming of Christ, which remains in our future. The disciples, though, do not yet understand that there is to be a Second Coming. Despite Jesus’ prior statements, they do not yet understand that the Cross is just days away. They remain bewildered by His talk of the Resurrection, and they most certainly do not anticipate the Ascension. So they are not (yet) looking for a return of Christ — He’s right there! — but more of a broad revelation of Christ, with attendant glory and Kingship, victory over their oppressors, and the end of the age, ushering in a new world order a la Isaiah 11-12, 65:17-25.

Little do the disciples expect Jesus’ answer to range over millennia into the future, but that is what they get. Much of what Jesus says is fulfilled about 40 years hence with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Some of what Jesus says is fulfilled somewhat continually throughout history (e.g., wars and rumors of wars), with various periods when one might well interpret events as boding Christ’s imminent return (e.g., the fall of Rome, the Black Death, Hitler). And, of course, we are still looking for the global revelation of the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Mt. 24:30)

As I said a couple of weeks ago, Jesus is the ultimate Realist. He does not paint a pretty picture. He speaks of tribulation and distress, of lawlessness and peril and suffering. He urges us to put away all illusions (or delusions) that the world is friendly and benign. We do not live in “Leave It to Beaver land”. We need to face that reality and not panic when the whole world goes to pot. Nor should we be led astray by false reports of some “christ” over here or over there. (Mt. 24:23-25) But we should most definitely pay attention to what is going on in the world and anticipate His return, with full assurance that what Jesus says will stand forever. (Mt. 24:32-35)

See also:

November 9 / Matthew 22:23-23:39; Mark 12:18-44; Luke 20:27-21:4

Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-40;
Matthew 22:34-46; Mark 12:28-37; Luke 20:41-44;
Matthew 23:1-39; Mark 12:38-44; Luke 20:45-21:4

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

Matthew 23:13a,15a,23a,25a,27a,29a

Jesus gives the scribes and Pharisees quite a tongue lashing, calling them hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, a brood of vipers. How is it, then, that we can read these words and still so often live more like the Pharisees than like Jesus? Might a little self-evaluation be in order? Let Matthew 23 roll around in your head today and see whether anything Jesus says finds its mark in you yourself. To that end, have a listen to “Alas for You”, the Godspell musical version of this chapter.

See also:

November 8 / Matthew 21:23-22:22; Mark 11:27-12:17; Luke 20:1-26

Matthew 21:23-32; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8;
Matthew 21:33-22:14; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19;
Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’? [Psalm 118:22-23]
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they held Him to be a prophet.

Matthew 21:42-46

Jesus makes this reference to Psalm 118 at the conclusion of the Parable of the Tenants (or Wicked Vinedressers), and it is clear to all that Jesus is speaking about the religious authorities — the Pharisees, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders — and their rejection of Him. They are the builders, and He is the rejected Stone. They are the wicked vinedressers, and He is the murdered Son. But do the religious authorities rethink their position? Do they take an honest look at themselves, at Jesus, at the Scriptures, and at the evidence? No. They just further harden their already hard hearts.

Jesus knows full well where He is headed. He knows that His words rankle the authorities. He knows He is not going to win them over. None of this is a surprise to Him. And He presses on, speaking the Truth — all in obedience to the Father.

So what are you going to do with this Stone today — not yesterday or tomorrow, but today? Are you going to push Him aside, looking for a better option? Or is He your Cornerstone?

See also:

November 7 / Matthew 21:1-22; Mark 11:1-26; Luke 19:28-48; John 12:12-19

Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19;
Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48;
Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:20-26

As He was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Luke 19:37-40

Let’s not be the Pharisees. Let’s recognize our King and not leave it to the stones to do all the praising!

See also:

One more thing…

With today’s readings we enter into Holy Week, the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. We’ve spent about three weeks reading about Jesus’ first 33 years, particularly His three years of ministry. Now we’ll spend about two weeks focused on this last week of His life. Perhaps we already know the story, maybe even very well. Or maybe we don’t know it (or Him) well enough…

November 6 / Matthew 20:17-34; Mark 10:32-52; Luke 18:31-19:27; John 12:1-11

Matthew 20:17-28; Mark 10:32-45; Luke 18:31-34;
Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-19:27;
John 12:1-11

You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:42b-45

I memorized that last verse (Mark 10:45) 40+ years ago as part of a series of verses illuminating Who Jesus is. Here we see Him as the ultimate Servant, laying down His life for us, the many. We, of course, find tremendous comfort in that. And we are in awe (or should be in awe) that the King of the universe would do such a thing as to come and serve us puny humans. Glory!

But although I memorized that specific verse, I’ve never bothered to memorize the preceding verses, and so I’ve never really retained the context for Jesus’ description of Himself as a Servant. That context indicates that He is acting as our Example, that we are to follow in His steps in servanthood. Hmmm. Now Jesus is meddling, rubbing us the wrong way. It’s fine if He wants to serve us. It’s not so fine when He expects us to serve one another. But that’s what He says. So, James and John (and you and I), do you want to sit at Jesus’ side in His glory? Then become the lowliest of servants here and now.

See also:

One more thing…

I am of the opinion that Jesus’ anointing by Mary of Bethany described in John 12:2-8 is the same incident as given in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9, which we won’t get to for nearly a week. I think The Chronological Study Bible leads us a bit astray here by separating these readings by several days, implying that they are two separate events. John 12:1 says that Jesus arrives in Bethany 6 days before the Passover. John 12:2 does not say that the dinner at which Mary anoints Jesus is held that very night. We all know that none of the Gospel writers feel compelled to present their material in chronological order, and John happens to present this vignette a bit early (or, conversely, Matthew and Mark may present the anointing a bit late). Hence, I think it would have been better for us to push John 12:2-8 later, reading those verses alongside the Matthew and Mark accounts a few days hence (or vice versa), but that’s OK.

By the way, I am also of the opinion that the anointing described in Luke 7:36-50 is indeed a separate, much earlier event, so I was glad to see The Chronological Study Bible cover that when we did. Now, some food for thought… I speculate (and it is pure speculation — no dogma here!) that the cast of characters is the same. That is, “Simon the Pharisee” in Luke is (speculatively) “Simon the Leper” in Matthew and Mark. And it is (speculatively) the same woman throughout all four accounts, Mary of Bethany. Now, here’s your homework: Assuming that my speculation is true (and it may not be!), fill in the blanks between Luke’s incident and this later incident as given in Matthew, Mark, and John…

November 5 / John 10:22-11:57

John 10:22-11:57

Jesus wept.

John 11:35

Why? Why would Jesus weep over the death of Lazarus? He knows full well what He is about to do. He knows that within minutes Lazarus will be back among the living. So Jesus cannot simply be experiencing the loss of His dear friend the way we grieve the passing of a loved one, whom we know we will not see again on this earth. But Jesus weeps. He weeps in compassion for Mary and Martha and the other mourners. (John 11:33) He feels their pain. He feels their grief. He weeps over the very fact of death. And He weeps over unbelief, that His friends cannot yet see the Hope that is standing right in front of them.

And Jesus weeps with us. He knows our sorrows. He knows our pain. He knows our losses, our sufferings, our griefs. He is a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3) And He remains our Hope. Indeed, He is our only Hope.

I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?

John 11:25,26

See also:

November 4 / Matthew 19:1-20:16; Mark 10:1-31; Luke 18:15-30

Matthew 19:1-15; Mark 10:1-16; Luke 18:15-17;
Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30;
Matthew 20:1-16

Let’s think about the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. (Matthew 20:1-16) Most of us have little difficulty in identifying with those laborers hired at the beginning of the day, who complain of unfairness. We can envision these laborers bringing a class-action lawsuit against their employer for unfair labor practices. And given our current legal system, we might even imagine those laborers winning the case. Such is our sense of fairness.

But, of course, this story isn’t really about picking grapes (or whatever else one might do in a vineyard). It’s about the Kingdom, and God is the vineyard owner. Given the original audience, we can see this parable as directed (at least somewhat) at the Jewish people, with the Jews represented by those hired at the start of the day, and the Gentiles by those hired later, even at the eleventh hour. (That the Gentiles would be treated like the Jews would be shocking to Jesus’ audience.) Or, like the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), we can see this parable directed against the Pharisees (et al) with their notions of deserving greater reward than all those low-lifes. (Shocking again.) Or we can alternatively interpret the laborers as individual life-spans, some who come to Christ early in life, others in midlife, and still others late in life, even through “deathbed conversions”. Regardless, the point is the same: God surprises us with the last first and the first last.

But here’s the thing: Even when we know that the parable is about the Kingdom, and even when we know that God has every right to be as generous as He chooses to be, do we still sympathize with those early laborers and feel like they are getting gypped? If we do, what does that say about our own view of salvation? Yes, we may readily say that eternal life is a free gift (Romans 6:23), but do we nevertheless think that we are more deserving of that life than the murderer who turns to Christ the night before his lethal injection? (In that case, we do not really think the gift is free…) Or are we jealous of those who indulge in all sorts of sinful pleasures for years before repenting late in life, thinking that we are “missing out” on the fun? (In that case, our view of sin is radically different from God’s…) Do we consider following God to be drudgery, like bearing the burden of the day and the scorching heat? (Mt. 20:12 — In that case, we’re clearly missing the joy of the Lord here and now…)

So give this parable a few more minutes of thought and look within yourself to see where your sympathies lie. You might just be in for a revelation.

See also:

November 3 / Luke 16; Matthew 18:15-35; Luke 17:1-18:14

Luke 16; Matthew 18:15-35; Luke 17:1-18:14

In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus gives us the Lord’s prayer, He immediately stresses that “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Mt. 6:12) means that if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. (See the October 18 post.) Today, Jesus makes the same point again, this time through the dramatic Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. (Matthew 18:21-35) I think we can all read the story and understand its meaning easily enough, even without knowing the exact ratio of value between a “talent” and a “denarius”.

But we have a problem. Although we may nod our heads in agreement, I daresay we generally do not really believe Jesus on this point (or many others, for that matter). Instead, we have bought into a watered-down version of the Gospel that says that if we simply utter “the sinner’s prayer” that we’re good to go. We’ve checked the box. We’re forgiven. We’re going to heaven. Done. Hallelujah! But does that sound anything like what Jesus says here?

Maybe believing in Jesus needs to start with believing Jesus and doing what He says.

See also: