My Thoughts on the Last week of "30 Days with Jesus"

First off, I must apologize for not posting last week.  Being out of town put me in a tough position to post. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading through the daily readings on the life of Jesus though.  I have!  Let me remind you of the new plan that will start this Tuesday.  It’s up now on the Current Plan page of this website.

This last week of reading was a tough week to read because it involved the events of the Holy Week.  From Jesus’ triumphal entry, we see people rejoicing in the fact that He is coming!  They’re praising Him, laying garments and palm branches before Him.  And as we read through the events of that week, by the end of that week, the people (probably some of the same) are mocking and cheering for Jesus to be crucified.  What in the world happened that week to change their minds?

I was also struck by the words of Jesus in John 14.  I like to read scripture at times not looking for a deep study but to put myself in the place of those I’m reading about.  I like to let scripture just soak in my mind and let it sit on my heart.  I put myself in the place of the disciples in John 14.  Jesus is saying some pretty lofty things here!

I tried to erase what I know about Jesus’ resurrection and return, and just put myself in the place of a young man who had been following this guy around for the last few years.  Reading Jesus’ words could have been confusing to these disciples.  There were questions asked of Jesus to clarify what He had already talked about (Philip in John 14:8), and we see Jesus saying some things a couple times, almost like these guys didn’t understand at first (John 14:28).

It leaves me thinking about how important Jesus’ words are, and how difficult they can be for some to understand.  It makes it all the more important that we take time to explain the Scriptures, like Philip did later with the Ethiopian eunuch, as recorded in Acts 8:30-31:

So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

So, do you have any last thoughts on this current reading plan? Leave your comments here.

Week 2 of "30 Days with Jesus"

We’re almost to the end of the second week of the current Bible reading plan!  I hope you’ve been reading and have enjoyed spending time in Scripture learning about our Savior Jesus.  Here is something I learned this week–and feel free to leave comments and questions of what you’re learning so we can read, learn, and live Scripture together!

After reading through some more great Scripture this week, I was drawn to a phrase that I noticed a couple times in different places.  I noticed last week in Matthew 9:9-13 an interesting phrase- “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”  Jesus said this to the Pharisees, and its repeated in Matthew 12:7, a passage from this week’s reading.  It was interesting because it was an exact repetition within the same book.  This isn’t a harmony of the gospels thing where I’m reading the same thing from two or more different books.

Immediately I thought about the meaning here.  My mind thought to the story of Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22 where  similar warning is given.  And then I looked at Hosea 6:6, the original text that Jesus was referring to.

Jesus desires mercy, not sacrifice. It’s clear in Scripture.  Here is how The New American Commentary defines “mercy”– embraces the characteristics of being generous, forgiving others, having compassion for the suffering, and providing healing of every kind. In context of the two places in Matthew where we see this phrase, it makes complete sense that the Pharisees (a legalistic bunch of people) were concerned more about upholding laws than being compassionate for sinners.

I had to think about that in my own life- am I concerned more with going through the motions of “religious action” more than authentically living out my faith in Jesus by being compassionate towards sinners so that they might be able to come to Christ?  It’s a question we should all ask.  Do we live according to rules and laws for the sake of living according to them and “looking good,” or do we actually put the Word of God to practice in our lives?

Week 2 Is Under-Way!

The second week of the current plan, 30 Days on the Life of Jesus, is under-way!  There was some good discussion online and in Sunday School classes last week of what was being read.  So this week, feel free to leave comments on this post of what God is teaching you through your reading this week.

Your thoughts might help and encourage others. So leave them here!  Pastor Ryan will post his thoughts on Thursday, which will also allow anyone to interact.  If you haven’t been reading, it’s not too late to start!  Just get the plan and start on the current date.

This Week's Reading Schedule. You can also click the "Current Plan" tab above to access the entire plan.

Week 1 of "30 Days With Jesus"

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this week.  But don’t stop!  Keep going as week 2 starts on Sunday.  This week we read from Isaiah 53, Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 3:1-4:11, John 2:1-11, John 4:1-26, Luke 4:14-30, Luke 5:1-11, Matthew 9:9-13, and Luke 6:17-46.  To access the current reading plan, click “Current Plan” at the top of this site.  You can download it and print it from there.  If you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late!  Download the plan and get into Scripture!

As I’ve been reading this week, one thing that jumped out at me was how people received Jesus.  Isaiah 53 made it clear that Jesus wasn’t seen as the Messiah he was.

²For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Later in the week, I read in Luke 4:24 that “no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.”  Jesus wasn’t received for who He truly was even in his hometown.  I wonder why?  Was it because He didn’t look like a great king that they were expecting?  Was His human nature too “human” for people to believe He was God’s son?

I’m so grateful Jesus came to change history forever.  And I got to thinking about my perception of Christ in my life.  What I’ve been thinking about this week is that Jesus isn’t confined to our ideological boundaries. Just because we think he should act in a certain way or be a certain way doesn’t always mean He will be or act that way.

Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share about what you’ve been reading.  Just leave a comment so we can all read, learn, and live Scripture together.