John 18:28-38; Luke 23:7-12 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week) The religious leaders took the Son of God to the idolatrous Roman governor, in hopes of having the Son of God executed by the Roman authorities. As they went to the governor, they made sure to be ceremonially clean by not going inside, as … More Day 129: Jesus faced down temptation
Day 128: Matthew 27:3-10 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week)https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+27%3A3-10&version=NIV Remorse is not the same as repentance, regret is not genuine sorrow for sin, and merely feeling bad achieves nothing. Judas Iscariot, a greedy thief during Jesus’ ministry, did what came naturally to him: made money any way he could, no matter the cost … More Day 128: An implosion of guilt
Luke 22:54b-62, 66-71 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week) Jesus – throughout his ministry – had been claiming by words and actions to be God; to be the promised Messiah from God. Here, the rulers are hoping for a five-minute trial where Jesus commits ‘blasphemy’, after which they will go to the Romans to … More Day 127: Jesus claimed to be God. A lot.
John 18:13-14, 19-24; Luke 22:63-65 (spring AD 30, Friday of Passion Week) When you get enough people of the same, strong opinion together, there is a danger that opposing views are not deemed worthy to be engaged with or rebutted. Rather, the carriers of those views become the ‘other’, the ‘enemy’, which must be belittled, … More Day 126: Jesus vs. Bad-faith opponents
Luke 22:39-53 (especially v.43-44) – (spring AD 30, Thursday night of Passion Week) What does a ‘No’ from God really look like, anyway? For the purposes of this piece, a ‘No’ from God is any time you asked or expected something from him, and you didn’t get it. Famous examples in the Bible are the … More Day 125: What to do when God says ‘No’
Luke 22:39-53 (especially v.43-44) (spring AD 30, Thursday night of Passion Week) “[Jesus] withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in … More Day 124: When God says no (Part 2)
Luke 22:39-53 (spring AD 30, Thursday night of Passion Week) “[Jesus] withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he … More Day 123: When God says ‘No’
John 17 (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) “I have given [Christians] the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you send … More Day 122: Love your brothers and sisters
John 16:4-16 (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” (v.12) Most of us don’t think of God as someone who sugarcoats things. And in once sense he doesn’t – the truth will always be conveyed as the truth, the whole … More Day 120: You can’t handle all the truth.
John 15:18-16:3 (spring AD 30, Thursday evening of Passion Week) Our experience of becoming a Christian involves choosing Christ, and we come from all kinds of different places to get there. Some through trauma, some in comfort; some through reason, some through emotion; some gladly, some with initial reluctance; some through reading, some through talking. … More Day 119: The encouragement of chosenness
Paul T Reynolds 