“The Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?’ Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” (Luke […]
The Forgiving Christ Scripture Reading: Luke 7:29-50 Meditation The Pharisees had just accused Jesus of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet one of them, Simon, invites him to his house for dinner. Jesus accepts. He goes to the Pharisee’s house and reclines at his table. “Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have […]
The Willing Christ Scripture Reading: Luke 5:12-26 Meditation Two men, a leper and a paralytic, desperately desire to get close to Jesus. The first shouldn’t, the second can’t. One is unclean and the other is unable. Whether unclean or unable, both are unwilling to stop until they are at the feet of Jesus. Both decide […]
The Rejected Christ Scripture Reading: Luke 4:14-30 Meditation There’s nothing better than coming home. Unless, of course, those who are at home don’t welcome you back! After his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus had left his hometown of Nazareth and had gone to live in Capernaum on the north end of the Sea of Galilee. […]
The Prophetic Christ Scripture Reading: Mark 13:1-37 Meditation As the disciples left the temple mount, they looked up, stood in awe, and exclaimed how magnificent the house of God was. But the Prophetic Christ looked past the temple’s past: past the building that Solomon had first built; past its destruction by the Babylonians; past the […]
The Determined Christ Scripture Reading: Mark 8:27–9:1 Meditation Peter got it half right. He understood who Jesus was but he didn’t understand what Jesus came to do. He nailed it when it came to the person of Jesus. But failed to embrace his work. When Jesus asked, “Who do people say that I am?” … […]
The Compassionate Christ Scripture Reading: Mark 6:30-44 Meditation The apostles have just returned from an extended preaching tour. Jesus had sent them out two by two. He had given them authority over evil spirits, instructed them to preach, cast out demons, and heal the sick. Mission accomplished. As they return, they’re exhilarated but they’re also […]
“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy 5:15 NIV) As we make our way into the forty-day journey, it’s easy to forget […]
The Miraculous Christ Scripture Reading: Mark 4:35–5:43 Meditation Miracles. They display divinity. They manifest power. They demonstrate compassion. They destroy the works of the Devil, the corrupt world and the sinful flesh. The Strong Man, Satan, has come only to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus, the Stronger Man, has come to bring life and […]
The Calming Christ Scripture Reading: Mark 4:35-41 Meditation It was Jesus’ idea. “That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.” Halfway across the […]
The Solitary Christ Scripture Reading: Mark 1:21-39 Meditation Jesus is a man who fits forty-eight hours worth of work into a twenty-four hour day. He teaches. He casts out demons. He heals the sick. He’s busy doing his Father’s business. But Jesus knows that, when you work with people, there’s always more to do. There’s […]
The Transfigured Christ Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13–17:13 Meditation The ups and downs of Peter’s emotions follow the contour of the mountain that he’s now descending. Seven days ago, Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was. They deflected the question by referencing the opinions of the masses. “Some say John the Baptist; others say […]
The Teaching Christ Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:1-58 Meditation The crowds have forced Jesus off the shore and into a boat. As he sits down in the boat, he begins to teach them many things about the kingdom of heaven. He speaks to the crowd in parables—gritty, illustrative, simple stories that take the mysteries of God […]
The Sending Christ Scripture Reading: Matthew 9:35–10:42 Meditation Before any great commission is given, there must be great compassion. First the heart has to be moved, and then the feet. The Sending Christ does both. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a […]
Sabbath of Rest “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew […]
