Category: Matthew

Matthew 27:20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

Today was one of those days that as I read scripture, a reflection plan was forming in my mind, but as I read commentary, God whispered, “This is what I want you to see, to think about.” Jesus—the innocent Lamb—died in place of Barabbas—an insurrectionist and murderer.

Matthew 27:21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered.

When I read this scripture, I am usually so caught up in what they are doing to Jesus that I don’t consider Barabbas, but Barabbas *is* me, and you, and all of us. He’s absolutely guilty, deserving of punishment, but he is set free because of Jesus. I want to ask, “What does that feel like?”, but I know—I *know*—because Jesus took my place, too.

Matthew 27:22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”

Lord, Thank You for this new perspective on Your sacrifice and my salvation. I am Barabbas. I am guilty. I deserve the punishment. Yet You take my place. “Thank You” is inadequate. Help me to love others as You love me—deeply, fiercely, completely, and even when they don’t deserve it. Amen.

Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 27:3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.

Have you ever been so focused on something—doing something, having something—that you didn’t fully appreciate the consequences? Matthew 26:16 says that from the time Judas agreed to betray Jesus, Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. He was so focused on what he was planning to do that it doesn’t seem he fully considered the consequences.

Matthew 27:4a “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

But Jesus does. He even says, at the moment of Judas’s betrayal, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Friend…One more reminder of who Judas is called to be in Christ, a reminder he didn’t heed until it was too late to turn back.

Matthew 27:4b “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

Lord, In the moment of his betrayal, You call Judas friend, You strive to remind him of who he is in You. But he doesn’t listen until it’s too late. I am just as guilty of betraying You in so many ways. Help me to hear Your voice, help me heed Your reminder of who I am in You, who You call me to be. Help me seek You always. Thank You for Your mercy and compassion. Amen.

Matthew 27:5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 23:33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

*Therefore* is an adverb, meaning (according to the dictionary): for that reason; consequently. I find that adverb, that transitional expression at the beginning of verse 34, extraordinary in light of verse 33.

Matthew 23:34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.

Jesus knows that there is no other way for this “brood of vipers” to “escape being condemned to hell.” For that reason, *therefore*, He sends “prophets and sages and teachers” even though He knows how they will be received. This is His tremendous love for His creation in action, His justice coupled with His mercy.

Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

Lord, I am fully deserving of Your judgment and not at all deserving of Your mercy, but Your fierce love for me, for all of Your creation, prompts You to be merciful. Thank You. Help me to be merciful and compassionate to others, even when I don’t feel like it and they don’t deserve it. Help me to be more like You. Amen.

Matthew 23:38-39 Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 23:2-3 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.

We are a very showy society. Appearance is important. But the Pharisees have forgotten that appearances aren’t everything. Jesus holds them up here as an example of what not to do. They do things to be seen and recognized by others, not to draw closer to God.

Matthew 23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

My heart understands their desire for recognition. It probably started innocently enough: “I’m working so hard. Is anybody paying attention? Does anyone appreciate what I’m doing?” My heart and mind often clamor for that kind of recognition, but the Pharisees show that that is a very slippery slope.

Matthew 23:5-7 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they…love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

Lord, You call us to be humble servants. You call us to work for You and not for human praise. But my pride wants recognition, Lord, and it’s pulling me away from You and towards the desire for earthly recognition and reward. That way lies misery, Lord. Help me to surrender my pride and to choose You. Always. Amen.

Matthew 23:11-12 The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 22:41-42a While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”….

Jesus turns the tables and asks questions of the Pharisees in today’s scripture. He asks a pretty simple question, yet He’s trying to show them that their thinking is too limited. They *think* they know who the Messiah is and how He will act. Man, those preconceived notions will get you every time.

Matthew 22:42b-43 …“The son of David,” they replied. He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’?…

Again, as I sit in judgment of the Pharisees, the thought hits that I am just as guilty of consigning Jesus to a smaller role than the one He intends to fulfill in my life. And just like the Pharisees, my error is based in my preconceived notions of what I deem to be the right path or solution, how *I* think Jesus *should* act. Jesus, Help me.

Matthew 22:45  If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”

Lord, Forgive me when I limit Your power to work in my life because of my preconceived notions of how You should work. Help me to put aside those notions so that You can work freely in my life and through my life. Draw me closer. Amen.

Matthew 22:46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Have a blessed day.

Matthew 21:23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

Commentary says of Jesus in this section that he does not engage in their argument. Something about the word engage really captures me here. As a society, we are all about engaging in the argument these days. A quick look on any social media platform will show copious examples. And the heart of each is about pride. “I’m right. You’re wrong. Let me destroy you publicly.”

Matthew 21:24-25a Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

Jesus knows He is right. He avoids the Pharisees’ trap, and He leaves them with their dignity. Commentary says, “…He does not clamor for the pride of winning a debate.” Pride. There it is popping up its ugly head. Again.

Matthew 21:25b-26 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

Lord, Thank You for reminding me to keep my pride in check. Thank You for providing me with a beautiful example of how to glorify You without engaging my prideful nature. Help me to lay my pride at Your feet and to glorify You in all things. Amen.

Matthew 21:27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Have a blessed day.