Matthew 27:2,11-32, Mark 15:1-5, 11-22, Luke 23:1-16, 18-19, 24-31, John 18:28-40, 19:1-17
John 18:36-37 – Jesus shows such complete confidence under pressure in who he is, his relationship with God and his position and authority under God. I wish I could have some of that confidence. I spend to much time doubting myself and wondering what I ought to believe and stand for. I wonder if God is with me – or more accurately if I’m with God. I feel a little like Pilate in John 18:38, “What is truth?” I want to have Jesus’ confidence and security.
Matthew 27:24-25 – I wonder if I had been Pilate what I would have done. It is clear that on some level he was convinced of Jesus’ innocence and even tried on more than one occasion to get the crowd to let Him go. I can imagine myself feeling like I cannot let this go on, but hen faced with an angry, vocal mob and religious leaders inciting them, what could I do? If I let him go, the mob may kill him themselves. But to give in to a travesty of justice, one that would end in a man’s death seems unthinkable. In the end the symbolic washing of hands and the declaring that it was not my problem anymore would have seemed like an attractive solution, even though it in no way could absolve me of responsibility. It would have felt like I had gotten out from under it, but in reality I could not have. Symbolism over substance.

Matthew 26:36-75, 27:1, 3-10; Mark 14:32-39, 43-72, 15:1; Luke 22:40-71; John 18:1-24, 26-27
Luke 22:44 – His anguish drove him to the father in prayer. I used to do that more and I need to return to this habit. When my heart aches or is heavy, prayer is the answer.
Matthew 26:43-46 – I wonder if the disciples felt guilty for sleeping and allowing Judas to sneak in to betray Jesus. Certainly later they would understand the fulfillment of prophecy, but at that moment did they think “If only I had stayed awake, this wouldn’t have happened!”
John 18:2 – Jesus made no attempt to hide, he went to pray in a familiar place. He could have went somewhere new, harder to locate, but he chose someplace familiar instead. He wanted to be found.
This passage is a great example of what I like about the chronological Bible. It puts the details of Jesus’ arrest, scattered through the gospels, together in one story. Check out sort of how it reads here. Biblegateway puts the footnotes and the NIV logo after every passage, which makes it a little harder to read.
Luke 22:60-62 – This is a haunting passage. Can you imagine the eternal length of that glance from Jesus? Can you imagine the emotions they both were feeling? It’s gut wrenching to think about for me.

John 15-17
John 15:9-17 – This is one of Jesus’ last times to teach his disciples, the twelve. He’s wrapping up His ministry here. He tells them that they have graduated, from servant to friend since He’s taught them everything God taught Him. And what is His final instruction? Watch over the doctrine of the church, keep it pure? No. Watch over the flock, make sure no one uncommitted gets in? No. Determinedly study the scriptures and know them like the back of your hand? No. He says, simply:

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

and

This is my command: Love each other. (vs. 12 & 17)

Why, then, do we so passionately pursue those other things and treat our relationships in the church so casually?
John 15:18 – I have always loved that verse.
John 15:26 – The spirit is there to teach us about God. It is through God’s spirit within us that God is revealed.
John 16:7 – I’ve never looked at this scripture quite like this. Jesus says that it’s good that He leaves them so that they can receive the spirit. The implication here is that it is better for us to have the spirit than to physically be with Jesus. Often we say, “Oh, what it must have been like to live with Jesus!”, but Jesus says here that it is better to live with the spirit that with Jesus! We have it better than the Apostles.
John 16:13 – The spirit will guide us into all truth. He’s there to relay information to us from God.
John 16:33 – I need these words of encouragement. It seems at times that the world is taking over me. Materialism and greed, pride and selfishness. But Jesus has overcome the world.

Matthew 26:20-35, Mark 14:17-28, Luke 22:14-39, John 13:1-38, 14:1-31
Luke 22:19-20 – Growing up in a Presbyterian church, each time we took communion the pastor would recite these verses or something very similar. Even though my current church doesn’t do this (and we take communion every week), they still ring sing-songy in my ears. They are far too familiar. I wonder how they sounded to the disciples gathered there? Eat this, it’s my body, drink this it’s my blood, poured out for you. What kind of impact did it have on them, or were they still out of touch with what Jesus was teaching about? Reading a couple verses down (Luke 22:24) and it seems as though they were. Still, they must have wondered what he was talking about.
Luke 22:25-27 – As a deacon, am I more like Jesus the servant or the ‘kings of the Gentiles’? Do I expect a place of honor? Do I think that I should have more respect or honor? Instead I should be a servant and nothing more. Give myself to God’s people.
John 13:1-5 – I find Jesus’ confidence here striking. He understood the time had come. He knew that Judas was reeady to betray Him. But he was confident, not in himself but in God. Verse three:

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God …

He had confidence that God had given Him power, that God was with Him, that He was going to be with God. What did that confidence enable Him to do? Serve. Verse four and five:

… so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He had complete trust in God that gave him incredible calm and poise facing a terrible situation. Not only was he ready to face it, but he could put it out of His mind and focus on these men. Men who still had not a clue about what was taking place. It didn’t matter to Jesus though, because of His trust in God. He was confident that God had his back.
John 13:35 – Jesus said that we will be known as His by our love. Not by our doctrine or our church building. Not by our obedience. By our love for one another. Yet we pursue doctrine, theology, obedience and church first over love so often. I marvel sometimes at how people who profess no faith in Jesus show amazing love and compassion while so called believers act so coldly.
John 14:1-7 – I sense a theme here with Jesus’ calm in the earlier verses, his confrontation with Peter just prior to this and now this statement and Thomas’ response. Jesus had complete trust in the Father and His plan, he was telling the disciples to do the same. But they wanted to be in control, to know all that was happening. Peter with his pronouncement of faithfulness and Thomas’ frustration with the unknown. Jesus just says trust me, God and I have it all worked out.
I need to remember this in my wrestling with church stuff. I don’t need the complete plan, a play by play organized layout of how the church should work. I just need to trust that God has it figured out.
Luke 22:35-38 – What’s with the swords?
Matthew 26:30 – Jesus and his disciples singing a Hymn. I would have loved to hear that.

Matthew 26:1-5, 14-19, Mark 14:1-2, 10-16, Luke 21:37-38, 22:1-13, John 12:37-50
Luke 22:9-13 – This is similar to the donkey earlier. If someone came to your home looking for a room for ‘the teacher’ to use, would you just open your home to them? Is the fact that this person did due to the times and culture they lived in or that they knew Jesus and when they said ‘the teacher’ he knew exactly who they were talking about.

Matthew 24:1-51, 25:1-46, Mark 13:1-37, Luke 21:5-36
Mark 13:10 – I can remember lessons about “once we reach all the nations …” then Jesus can come back. I’m not so sure about latching on to one verse and making doctrine about it.
Matthew 24:12 – This one little verse has much to say to us. I think that there is much ‘wickedness’ in our lives. Not in the sense that we normally think of wickedness, but in selfishness and laziness. We are so wrapped up in ourselves that our love for others grows cold. We are too busy with our own lives, our own hobbies, our own work and activities that we don’t have time to spend with others. Even the time we do spend is typically shallow, we don’t talk openly, frankly and pointedly about our lives.
Mark 13:12-13 – This verse (and others like it) was often used in the ICOC to dismiss our critics. We should have paid more attention to them and perhaps we could have learned from them. However, the message of Jesus divides. On some level we should expect conflict and criticism. We should pay attention to what they’re saying, but not spend our lives trying to appease them.
Matthew 25:14-30 – There is an expectation of performance in God’s kingdom. We are saved by grace, but that doesn’t mean there is not an expectation.
Matthew 25;31-46 – I love the Keith Green song (MP3 clip here) about this passage. He points out in that song that the differnce between the sheep and the goats is “what they did or did not do.” Perhaps more accurately, the difference is what they did or did not see or how they did or did not care. For if they saw, surely they would have cared and if they cared, surely they would have acted.

Matthew 21:20-46, 22:1-46, 23:1-39, Mark 11:20-33, 12:1-44, Luke 20:17-47, 21:11-4
Matthew 21:20-22, Mark 11:20-26 – Where is my faith in God? Am I so confident that I could give orders to nature and believe they would be carried out? I find that I tend to see God on the sidelines for me. Always there, but rarely active. I’m afraid I run a little too close to deism in my practical faith. I intellectually acknowledge an active God, but am skeptical of any evidence that He actually does anything. I long for God to be real and living for me. I too rarely feel His presence in a way that is tangible. I’m not exactly certain how that would play out, but I think that I am missing an aspect of God that is personal, present and able to be felt.
Matthew 21:43 – I am so conditioned to think of evangelism and converting people when I think of ‘fruit’. To bring someone to Christ is an amazing thing, yet I believe that fruit can be so much more. I’m tired of feeling guilty for not sharing enough or baptizing in years. Yet I also fear that I’ve had an overreaction to years of evangelistic emphasis and I am now dismissing the spirit when I’m called to share my faith. Lord, help me hear your voice and find the proper balance.
Matthew 22:15-33 – All this energy spent trying to trap Jesus. They are so convinced of their own knowledge that they don’t bother to listen to Him. I’ve seen this in so many people, and even in myself. Pride is such a powerful and evil thing. It blocks understanding and learning, it prevents us from hearing and acknowledging God. It keeps people divided, so they are prevented from learning from each other’s wisdom. I hate my pride, yet it is ever with me. I think I know enough, I don’t need to read much. I think things are OK, I don’t need to pray much. I think I understand a situation, I can tell you what you need to know. I think I could lead better, manage better, preach better, organize better. It’s sickening how often it is intermingled in my existence.
Matthew 23:23-24 – I see so much of this scripture in the religion of our nation today, including my own church. We religious folk do a good job at playing church, showing up on Sunday and living by the ‘rules’. But how good are we at mercy or justice? When there’s sin in the camp, do we seek justice or a scapegoat? Do we speak up for the voiceless? Jesus did that and he condemned those who’s religion was all ceremony. Isn’t our religion in the US just ceremony sometimes? Personally, what does my religion lead me to do? I too am guilty. I sit here at my wireless laptop in my comfy house and I wonder, is my religion worth anything to God? Or does he weep at my deception?
Matthew 23:25-36 – This section is hard to read and not feel inadequate. I can see my self in these passages and it’s painful. I fall so short of God’s will, it’s scary. Praise God for Jesus and His grace. Yet it feels like a cop out to say that. Yet I must remember that God loves me, not for what I do or how I measure up, nor even for who I am. He loves me because of who he is, perfect, loving. He loves me because he cannot do anything else. Even in my worst sin, he despises my behavior (because of the hurt is causes me and those around me) but loves me. What I do has no bearing on that. As a dad, I can understand that a little, for that’s how I treat my girls, or how I want to anyway.

Matthew 21:1-19, Mark 11:1-19, Luke 19:29-48, John 12:12-36
Luke 19:28-35 – I’ve always been amazed at this scripture. If someone you didn’t know came up and asked for something of yours – your car, bike, scooter – saying “The Lord needs it.”, would you just let them have it? I can say that I wouldn’t. Perhaps in the context of the hoopla of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem it would make more sense. I’ve always thought of this happening away from all that, well up ahead. It does say “go to the village ahead of you”
Luke 19:39 – Did these Pharisees rebuke their disciples when they were praised?
Luke 19:40-42 – Though the people are rejoicing at his coming, they don’t understand the significance of it. But the creation does, and if man could not rejoice at Jesus coming to achieve what had been foretold, the rocks and trees would. This is most significant event of history, He’s finally here to bring peace to the war between God and man. And God would sacrifice Himself in the name of providing man peace.
Mark 11:15-17 – He had seen it the day before, but decided not to deal with it then because it was late (Mark 11:11). But he did not just let it slide, he returned to deal with this desecration of the temple.
Matthew 21:14-16 – Boy, the Pharisees have got their short in a bind over this, don’t they? (Mark 11:18 and John 12:19 too) They were so concerned about doing things right, following the letter of the law, that they missed the Messiah. It’s quite easy to get caught up in that. I see people that look just like these Pharisees; angry, offended at doctrinal ‘mistakes’, consumed with doing things right, going to great lengths to deal with those who are ‘wrong’, but missing Jesus.

John 11:1-54
John 11:5-16 – Jesus tries to speak of deeper things, but the disciples cannot see beyond the surface. Thomas’ comments are indicative of his complete respect and trust in Jesus (If Jesus said that it was good that Lazarus died, then it would be good for us to die too!), but also his inability to see what Jesus saw.
John 11:20 – Was this after Luke 10? If so, Martha has learned something since then. Before, she was busy making preparations while Mary ignored those responsibilities to be with Jesus. Now that tables are tuned. With visitors from out of town showing sympathy, there was much to do. Yet it is Martha, not Mary, who leaves all of that to greet Jesus.
John 11:25-26 – Was Jesus referring to our physical death and then going to heaven, or the transformation that takes place when we die to ourselves when we become Christians?
John 11:45-48 – What sort of mind looks at a man raised from the dead and thinks that it’s trouble, something that must be reported to the authorities. And then they are distressed that folks might believe in him! It’s amazing how powerful a preconceived notion can be. It’s something I’ve called intellectual inertia. We approach an analysis with the end result already in mind, therefore the facts are of no use to us. The urge to believe what we already believe is so powerful and overwhelming.

Matthew 20:1-16, Luke 14:1-35, 15:1-32, 16:1-31, 17:20-37, 18:1-14
Luke 14:12-14 – I this really about ‘payment’ for good deeds, as it suggests on the surface?
Luke 14:15 – This man makes a comment about eating at the feast in God’s kingdom. Then Jesus tells this parable of all these folks giving silly excuses for why they cannot come to a man’s banquet. They were all so absorbed in themselves, their own lives, that they wouldn’t even let this man serve them.
Luke 14:25-33 – I’ve always wondered what ‘carry your cross’ was here. The traditional ICOC discipleship study twist on it was that it referred to evangelism. But that simply doesn’t jive with the passage. In the prior verses Jesus talks about setting priorities in our lives, God comes before everything and everyone else, to the point that our love for our family seems like hate in comparison. And after he talks about the same thing, giving up everything we have. In that context, it makes more sense that this is referring to death to ourselves. Taking up our cross is to put ourselves down, to die to our dreams, ideas and desires and live for God’s. If we are to be reconciled to God, this is not optional.
Luke 14:35 – Do you get it? Are you listening?
Luke 17:30-37 – Jesus is talking about what sounds like His future return, and then this comment on about where the vultures gather. I don’t understand that at all. What’s the connection?
Luke 18:6-8 – I must not stop believing and praying and trying to be righteous. It sometimes seems impossible, insurmountable. There’s so much sin in the world, relationships are so hard, it’s so difficult to know yourself and to fight sin. But Jesus promises us that we will “get justice, and quickly.” Just don’t give up.
Luke 18:9-14 – A parable to the ICOC. 🙂