Betrayed

Have you been betrayed by a friend? Was there someone who you thought you could trust who later turned against you? Did you think you were making a difference only to have your feet cut out from under you? How did that make you feel? Were you hurt? Were you angry?

Being betrayed can cause a range of emotions…none of them good. We may be resentful, angry, distraught, depressed, or even vengeful. Depending on who the person betrayed us to, we may feel hopeless. No, being betrayed is not good for our mental well-being.

We read that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. But do we consider the range of emotions Jesus may have felt when He saw Judas coming up the hill with a cohort of soldiers to take Him into custody? Even though Jesus knew it was going to happen, He wasn’t looking forward to it. However, Jesus did what many of us do when we have others to take care of and face a bad situation. He summoned His courage to face it and be a positive example for His disciples.

Do we betray Jesus? When we willfully sin, we do. Our sin is the reason for Him having to go to the cross. Do we feel guilty? Do we resent sinning? Do we repent? Jesus is the reason we are forgiven. Yet, He did not intend on us continuing in our sin. He wants us to allow His Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out. As we release our selfish attitude and seek to do the will of the Father, we begin the process of eliminating our willful sinning. We begin to live the life God wants us to live and become the person he wants us to be.

I pray we all let go of our selfishness. I pray we allow the Holy Spirit to change us. I pray each one of us seek to do God’s will and become the person God intended us to be. Ponder Jesus’ feelings of being betrayed. Give up your selfishness. Allow the Holy Spirit to change you. Stop willfully sinning. Know that you are forgiven.

Mark 14:10-11 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

Urgency

Have you had people hunting you down? Have you been wanted for questioning about a crime? Has the Internal Revenue Service sought you out to discuss your tax return? Were you falsely accused of wrongdoing? How did it feel? Were you afraid of what might be coming?

Being pulled in for questioning can be nerve wracking. Having the IRS reviewing your tax returns with you personally can be stressful, even if you did them perfectly. Being falsely accused of wrongdoing can be very upsetting. We can experience a variety of negative emotions.

A couple days before the Passover Jesus was being hunted. The Jewish leadership were on the prowl, looking for Him. They had a contingent of soldiers, we would call them security guards, who were likely looking for Him as well. They had had enough of Him. His triumphal entry had gotten the people all riled up. They were opposed to His teachings and now He might be going to cause an uprising. They were fearful of losing their way of doing things and their prestige.

But Jesus was not in Jerusalem. He was in Bethany, a village a couple miles away. Make no mistake about it, Jesus knew they were looking for Him. He knew what would happen. It was for this reason He had come to Jerusalem at this time. Knowing this did not necessarily relieve Him of the emotions roiling inside. In fact, it may have added urgency to His desire to teach all that He could before He went to the cross. The time was short.

We may know of people who experienced something similar. It may have been someone who was diagnosed with a disease that only gave them a few months to live. The urgency to check off some items on their bucket list ramped up. Jesus was doing all He could to prepare His disciples for what would happen in a couple days. Have we prepared ourselves and others?

I pray we all recognize the urgency Jesus had those last few days. I pray we seek to carry out His will for our lives. I pray each one of us prepare ourselves and others for the day we pass from this life into eternal life. See Jesus’ urgency. Set your priorities. Prepare yourself. Prepare others.

Mark 14:1-2 It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”

Offering to God

Do you like to talk about money? Do you discuss paying your bills? Do you talk about how much money you make? Is money a source of discontentment? Is it a source of embarrassment? Or do you think very little about money? How much do you put in the offering plate?

Money can be a very divisive topic for people. Throughout history, there was a large divide between the haves and the have nots. It has not been until the last couple hundred years that a middle class has emerged. It seems as though everyone is fighting for the almighty dollar.

Jesus talked a lot about money during His time on this earth. He even pointed out what it means to make an offering of money to God. As He was sitting within the temple grounds, He was observing what people were putting into the offering box when He witnessed a widow put in a couple small copper coins. To put that into perspective, it would be equivalent to about eight minutes of work for a day laborer. If a person was working for minimum wage today, she would have put in about 50 cents.

But the importance is not necessarily the small amount but the fact it was all she had. Think of a woman pulling out the last two quarters from her pocketbook and putting them in the offering plate. She had nothing else. She was trusting God to provide for her needs. This is an example of a very strong faith, for widows were homeless and destitute, unless they had a family who would take care of them in that patriarchal society.

We are called to walk in faith. We are to trust God in everything, which includes offering money to the church. Not only should we pray that God guide us in our offering, but we should pray for those who determine how the offering will be used. Pray that God guides those people to use the offering wisely and to support God’s work to expand his kingdom here on earth.

I pray we all seek God’s guidance for offering our money to him. I pray we make an offering that is acceptable to him. I pray each one of us put our faith in God, trusting him to provide for our needs. Give back to God. Give to the church. Ask God for guidance. Pray for those making monetary decisions. Trust God in all things.

Mark 12:41 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.”

Reverent and Respectful

How much do you know about what happened during Holy Week? Have you followed the events of Jesus during the last week before He went to the cross? It is during Holy Week that Jesus publicly proclaimed He was the Messiah. He no longer told people to be silent.

Jesus entered Jerusalem to great fanfare. The people were proclaiming Him the conquering king. They were hoping He was going to throw the Roman soldiers out of Israel and elevate Israel as a prominent nation again. Though they misunderstood what He was going to do, they recognized Him as King.

The day after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus begins to reveal His true identity. He goes into the temple and clears the business that had invaded it in support of sacrifices. Slowly, over the years, sellers of sacrificial animals had moved in. Money exchangers had also moved to exchange currencies for people who came from other countries. These people were making money, and very possibly extorting people, within the temple grounds. Jesus chased all of them out.

We may wonder how one man could command so many to leave a prosperous business behind. Why were they afraid of Him? We must understand that Jesus was not just human but also God. He had an aura about Him. He could be commanding when He needed to. He could be more charismatic than anyone we have ever seen. He could command obedience quicker than ten Marine Corps drill instructors. He simply had not shown that ability before now.

We often say, “the church is not a building, it’s the people” and I wonder if we have reduced God’s house to nothing more than a building. Though the saying is true, it is because a church building is where we come together corporately to worship God that it is holy. We should treat the building as such. At the same time, it does not mean we should put the building above people. No, they should both be viewed with reverence and respect.

I pray we all see God’s house as being holy. I pray we view God’s people as being holy. I pray each one of us commit to being reverent and respectful when we are in God’s house. Be reverent toward God in his house. Treat his church as being holy. Be respectful of God’s people. Be in awe of Jesus’ power.

Mark 11:17 He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, 

‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? 

But you have made it a den of robbers.”

Hosanna!

As Jesus was entering Jerusalem, what we call the triumphal entry, the people were yelling hosanna. I wonder how many of us shout hosanna to Jesus regularly. Do we only do so on Palm Sunday when we are instructed (or shamed) to do so?

Have we forgotten what hosanna means? In the event we have, it means ‘Save us, please!’ It identified the subject as a ruler whom the petitioner was praising. The petitioner recognized their status and submitted to the ruler to be their savior.

In the case of Jesus entering Jerusalem, though the people were praising Him, they were thinking of Him in the wrong context. He was not a political ruler but a spiritual ruler. He was entering Jerusalem to not only save the people there but to save the whole world.

Since we view Jesus as our Savior, we ought to shout hosanna to Him quite often. For it is only He who can save us. It is only Jesus who has brought about reconciliation between us and God. It is only by His acts of love and sacrifice that we can be forgiven of all our wrongs. Jesus is our Savior and He is also our King. As such, He should be the ruler of our lives.

I pray we all accept Jesus as our Savior. I pray we accept Him as our King and Ruler. I pray each one of us will shout hosanna to Him regularly, crying out for His saving grace. Ask Jesus to save you. Praise Jesus as your King. Thank Jesus for being your Savior. Shout hosanna to Jesus.

Mark 1:9-10 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, 

“Hosanna! 

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! 

Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Amazing Rewards

Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? Isn’t it wonderful when you complete a task and your boss rewards you for it? Don’t you love seeing your efforts come to fruition? Have you considered how beautiful it would be to accomplish the tasks God has laid before you?

Having plans that work out as we like makes us feel pretty good. Getting rewards for completing the tasks our boss gives us is nice. Seeing the fruits of our labor brings satisfaction. Our self-esteem goes up and our confidence increases and life is good.

Completing the work God has set before us is much the same with one significant difference. When we complete what God has set before us, we know our work is expanding his kingdom here on earth. We may see that by witnessing others accepting Jesus as their Savior. We may see it in the appreciative eyes of someone who was hungry being filled. No matter what the task is, when we complete it for God, there are rewards.

When the disciples brought the donkey for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem, they were rewarded with a sight that has only occurred once. They saw people putting their coats down on the road while others placed branches down as a welcoming carpet for Jesus to ride on. In other words, they saw the people welcoming the King. I’m sure it was an astonishing sight, and the disciples were filled with wonder.

We read this story and may not fully comprehend its significance. Jesus was receiving the treatment of a king returning from battle having conquered a villainous foe. What the people didn’t realize was…Jesus was riding in to conquer the villainous foe. He was about to conquer through death, burial, and resurrection. He was coming to be crowned the King of kings.

I pray we all complete the tasks God has set before us. I pray we see the fruits of our labor for God. I pray each one of us are amazed at what God does when we serve him with all we have. Complete your assigned tasks. See the fruits of your labor. Notice what God does. Be amazed by his power.

Mark 11:7-8 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.

Jesus Prepares the Way

Yesterday, we discussed Jesus sending us on errands, just as He sent the disciples on errands. Let’s take a look at how Jesus prepares the way for our errand running. We may not think about how Jesus prepares the way for the errands or missions He sends us on.

Why don’t we think about Jesus preparing our way? Do we look at Him like we look at our corporate managers? Do we believe He is like all the rest of us humans? Have we not experienced Him and know that He is far greater than anyone we have ever known?

Being sent on an errand by our manager can be a challenge or confusing. They almost certainly have not prepared the way for us. They give us instructions and send us off. We have a mission to carry out but do not know what unforeseen obstacles we will run in to. The manager often cannot foresee those obstacles either. We must adjust on the fly.

On the other hand, Jesus knows everything we will encounter along the way. He prepares the way for us. However, we will not see how He prepares our way if we do not go on the errands and missions He sets before us. Additionally, we must open our eyes to see how He has been setting the table for us. He has prepared hearts for our message. He has put things in place to assist us along the way.

Look at how He prepared the way for the disciples. He had already prepared the owner of the colt. When he asked what they were doing and they replied as Jesus told them, the owner allowed them to take it. So, we must follow His instructions accurately and trust that He has prepared the way ahead of us.

I pray we all decide to go on the errands Jesus sends us. I pray we trust that He has prepared the way. I pray each one of us will follow His instructions correctly and see Him at work in our lives. Go on errands for Jesus. Trust He has prepared the way. Follow His instructions. See Him at work in your life.

Mark 11:2-3 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’ ”

An Errand for Jesus

Have you ever been sent? Have you gone on an errand for someone else? Was it an important errand for an important person? Did you accomplish what you were sent to do? Were you attentive to the details of your errand? Was the person who sent you pleased with your work?

It is likely all of us have been sent on an errand at some point. Perhaps it was a simple errand for a parent. Maybe it was a more important errand for a friend, co-worker, or perhaps a corporate executive. It might have been an errand for a person who is in power.

Running errands can be a chore. Especially if those errands are repetitive in nature. It can become cumbersome to go to the grocery store every week. But when we are given a special errand, it can be exhilarating, intimidating, or even scary. Special errands are for a special purpose and take on exceptional meaning when given to us by someone of importance.

Jesus sent a couple of His disciples on an errand. They were to go get a colt for Him to ride into Jerusalem on. However, He didn’t relay to them the purpose for the colt when He told them to go get it. Perhaps they guessed it. Maybe they were a little bewildered. Regardless of why Jesus said He needed it, they trusted He did need it. So, they went about completing the errand.

We are often sent on errands by Jesus, too. In fact, He has commissioned each one of us to go on an errand every day. Perhaps we don’t realize it is an errand. Maybe we are hesitant to carry it out. When we are hesitant, we might think of these two disciples Jesus sent on their errand. He had prepared the way for them beforehand. He does the same for us today. We simply need to be willing and trust He has prepared the path for us.

I pray we all seek to accomplish the errand Jesus has sent us on. I pray we welcome the opportunity to serve Jesus. I pray each one of us will go with the confidence of the two disciples. Seek to serve Jesus. Accomplish the errand He sent you on. Go with confidence. Know Jesus has prepared your path.

Mark 11:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples,

Victory in Jesus

Are you the curious type? Do you like to know who, what, when, why, and how? Do you ask questions until you get to the bottom of it? Do you search until you get answers? Do you wonder where some traditions originated? Do you wonder that about the church?

By nature, most of us are curious, even if we keep silent about it. We wonder why some people do the things they do. We want to know who is doing what. We like to know when specific things will take place. We seek to understand how something is made.

But I wonder how many of us seek to understand the traditions of the church. Palm Sunday will be here in a few days. How deep have we searched to understand how it came about? We know that when Jesus entered Jerusalem the week before His crucifixion the people greeted Him by putting palm branches down as a carpet for Him to ride in on (John 12:13). They also shouted “Hosanna,” which means “save us, please!” and is a praise that implies rulership. But why did they do that?

We turn to Psalm 118 which was a song of victory. This is a song the Israelites would have sung when a victory had been one. They might have sung it as the king and his soldiers were returning from a victorious campaign to celebrate not only the victory but praise God for the victory. Therefore, when they are singing this song and laying down palm branches for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, it would have shaken the Jewish religious leaders to the core. If the Romans understood the reason behind it, it would have upset them as well.

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, perhaps we can think back to the reason we celebrate it. Jesus has won the victory over Satan and the evil of this world. He has also won the victory over our very own sin. It is through His victory that we stand in victory. Let’s seek to understand the “why” behind our traditions.

I pray we all seek to understand church traditions. I pray we read God’s Word and discover the reasons why we do certain things. I pray each one of us will celebrate our victory in Jesus every day. Seek understanding. Read God’s Word. Know the “why” of traditions. Celebrate victory in Jesus.

Psalm 118:26-27

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

We bless you from the house of the Lord. 

The Lord is God, 

and he has given us light. 

Bind the festal procession with branches, 

up to the horns of the altar.

Live Free

Do you live with guilt and shame? Are there things you have done in the past that you wish you had not done? Are there things you keep hidden, not wanting anyone to ever find out about? Do you carry them in a deep-down dark place? Do you know you can be set free?

We do some really stupid things sometimes. We also do some things we know we shouldn’t do, but they may be our favorite sin and we don’t want to give them up. We feel guilty. We carry the guilt and shame of them. We desire to do better but continue to stumble.

The prophet Isaiah knew long ago that God would forgive him. He stated that when we are followers of his, we are no longer guilty. When God forgives us, we are truly forgiven. We are set free from the burden of guilt…unless we choose to continue to carry it. And therein lies the problem. We carry what we no longer need to carry.

Jesus tells us to take on His yoke for it is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). Rather than carry around our guilt and shame, we are to live free in Jesus. Our guilt has been forgiven and there is no shame in Jesus. Make no mistake, we should desire to grow to be like Jesus, giving up our sinful ways. But we don’t have to carry around the guilt of falling short while we mature in our faith and grow to being more like Him.

God, our heavenly father, forgives us because of what Jesus has done. He knows we are fallible human beings. He sent his Holy Spirit to guide us. But in God’s infinite wisdom he knows we are still frail people who fall prey to Satan’s temptations. He loves us so much that he died on a cross for us. His love continues from yesterday to today to all eternity. We are to live free in his love and returning his love to him.

I pray we all know that God loves us more than we can comprehend. I pray we know we are forgiven through Jesus Christ. I pray each one of us will live free of guilt and shame. Know God loves you. Love God with your whole heart. Know you are forgiven. Release your guilt. Rid yourself of shame. Live free.

Isaiah 50:9a

It is the Lord God who helps me; 

who will declare me guilty?