Tag: Mary

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Luke Devotionals

True peace

Angelic army

Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:13-14, NET)

As I read those words, I was thinking about my pastor’s message last Sunday. He talked about how the peace Jesus came to bring is different from the peace people often seek.

With a vast heavenly army appearing, the shepherds might have thought that they came to wipe out Roman oppression.

A scarier thought might have been that the angels came to wipe out the shepherds themselves. God’s glory tends to reveal to us our own sinfulness.

But instead, this army proclaims peace, not just to the shepherds, not just to the Jews, but to all people. (Luke 2:10)

But again, what kind of peace?

Peace with God.

A peace where he breaks into our lives and says, “You don’t have to be afraid of me anymore because of your sin. My Son came to pay the price for your sin.

“And now, my favor is on you. Just as it was on Elizabeth (Luke 1:25). Just like it was on Mary (Luke 1:28-30). My favor rests on you.”

That’s something to treasure in your heart and meditate on. (Luke 2:19)

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Ephesians Devotionals

Lavished on

Immanuel

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.

For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.

He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

I love the translation of verse 6. God has “lavished” his grace on us.

The word translated “lavished” is used only one other time in the New Testament, when Gabriel visited Mary. Gabriel told her,

Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.（Luke 1:28)

He was basically saying to her, “Mary, God has lavished his grace upon you.”

You may think that Mary must have been pretty special for the angel to say that to her.

And yet, God says the same thing to us.

“I have lavished my grace upon you through my Son. I chose you before the foundation of the world to be adopted into my family.”

The words God spoke to Mary are for you. God has lavished his grace on you. And in Jesus, he is Immanuel, “God with us.”

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John Devotionals

Questioning Jesus’ love

Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. (John 11:5-6)

So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?” (36-37)

One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! You’re not considering that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.”

He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to unite the scattered children of God. (49-52)

Jesus loves us. But there are times he doesn’t act as we had hoped, and we struggle to understand why. During those times, it’s easy to start asking, “Does Jesus really love me?”

But the truth is, often times we know nothing at all. There are things that God knows that we are not considering.

That was most clearly seen at the cross. No one understood what God was doing. Not the priests. Not the Pharisees. Not Jesus’ disciples. Not Jesus’ mother. No one.

But the cross was the greatest expression of God’s love.

Are there questions you’re struggling with? “Why”s you can’t understand?

Let us be like Mary and Martha, who though hurting, didn’t stay away from Jesus, but ran to him. Who kept believing in him. Who kept obeying him.

And like them, the day will come when we will see the glory of God.

On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory.

None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, because if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written,

What no eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no human heart has conceived—
God has prepared these things for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:7-9)

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Matthew Devotionals

Our place in the story

Matthew

“Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”

So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him. (Matthew 26:13-16)

As I read those words, it struck me that not only is Mary (sister of Lazarus and Martha, John 12:1-8) and her deed remembered, but so is Judas and his deeds.

Mary is remembered for her love for Jesus.

Judas is remembered for betraying him.

And it made me think, “What is my place in the gospel story? What is my place in this story that started in the garden of Eden and has stretched out until the present day?

“How will I be remembered when I’m gone? What stories will be told of me?”

And then I thought of Peter. He too is remembered.

He is often remembered for his great failure, for denying Jesus three times.

But he is also remembered as one who came to know God’s grace.

And really, that is what the gospel is all about. It’s all about God’s grace. It’s about the body that was broken and the blood that was poured out there on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven.

So many of us look at our own sin and brokenness and it depresses us.

But like Mary, like Peter, we are recipients of God’s great love and grace.

That’s our part in this gospel story God is writing.

Let us rejoice in it!

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Genesis Devotions

At the appointed time

Genesis

I don’t know why, but maybe because Christmas is right around the corner, I’m seeing a lot of things through that lens.

The Lord asked Abraham,

Why did Sarah laugh, saying, “Can I really have a baby when I’m old?”

Is anything impossible for the Lord?

At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son. (13-14)

Those words rang a bell with me, and I thought of Gabriel’s words to Mary.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless.

For nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:35-37)

And then I thought of Paul’s words to the Galatians.

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:4-5, NIV)

The birth of Isaac was the first step to God fulfilling his promise that Abraham would be a blessing to all nations. It seemed impossible, with Sarah already being 90 years old.

But she did give birth to a son, turning her laughter of doubt into laughter of joy.

Then at the right time, God sent Jesus in an equally impossible situation, with Mary, a virgin, giving birth to a son.

But now, through him, we rejoice as children of God.

For as Paul wrote,

And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”

So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)

So let us rejoice with Paul, saying,

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

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John Devotionals

Running to Jesus

John

We don’t always understand why God does the things he does.

Martha and Mary certainly didn’t. Several days before, they had sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick. But Jesus deliberately delayed in coming.

What would you do?

Many people would turn their backs on Jesus, bitter and angry.

But Martha and Mary went to him. In Mary’s case, she “rose quickly” and went to him.

They were upset. They were confused. But they still went to Jesus. And in doing so, they found out that he truly is faithful.

How about you? When you are angry and confused by what God does, do you turn from him? Or do you run to him?

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Luke Devotionals

The most important thing

Luke

I have read the story of Mary and Martha many a time, and it never fails to make me stop and think.

Think about what Luke says. “Martha welcomed him into her home.” (Luke 10:38)

And yet when he entered, she was “distracted with much serving.” (vs. 40—ESV)

Put another way, she was ironically “pulled away from Jesus” by all her serving.

Not only that, she was “worried and upset about many things.” (41)

What was she so worried and upset about?

Perhaps she was worried about trying to please Jesus. To make everything perfect for him. And she got upset when things weren’t going just right.

Sounds like a perfectionist to me. How would I know? I’m a perfectionist myself.

And like Martha, when I serve the Lord, I want everything to be perfect. And when things don’t go perfectly, I get anxious and upset.

Do we know (do I know?) in our heart of hearts that we don’t have to earn Jesus’ favor? That he already not only accepts us, but looks on us favorably?

Or are we constantly running around trying to serve him, and getting worried or upset whenever things don’t go just right because deep down we have doubts that he really has accepted us?

All of us have welcomed Jesus into our lives. But now that he’s dwelling in our hearts, are we pulled away from spending time with him, distracted with “much serving?”

Or do we actually take the time to stop and spend time with him, talking to him, and listening to him?

Of course there is a time for us to serve Jesus. Actually, a better way to put it is that there’s a time for us to serve with Jesus.

But if we forget that he already loves us and looks at us with favor, we will start to lose perspective in life as Martha did.

Look at Jesus’ words to Martha. What do you think is most important to him?

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Mark Devotionals

Valuing Jesus. Valued by Jesus.

As I read this chapter, I marvel at Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha. (See John 12:1-8.)

She valued Jesus so much, she was willing to sacrifice some very costly perfume in order to honor Jesus. It makes me think: “How much do I value Jesus?”

Am I like Mary?

Or am I like Judas, who professes love for Jesus, and yet betrays him with my actions?

Or am I like Peter, who professes love for Jesus, but can’t even stay awake for him?

But don’t miss something else in this passage.

Jesus values us, even in our weakness.

Knowing that his disciples that would run from him in his time of trial, and that Peter would deny even knowing him, Jesus nevertheless broke bread at dinner and said, “Take it. This is my body.”

Then he took a cup and gave it to them, and said, “This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many.” (Mark 14:22-24)

That’s how much Jesus values us, weak and fragile as we are. He gave his life for us.

And it was no light sacrifice either. He agonized over it, pleading with the Father, “Take this cup from me! I don’t want to go to the cross!”

But in the end, he did so. Why? Because he valued us so much.

Let us value Jesus each day as Mary did. But just as importantly, never forget how much he values us.

As John says,

We love because he first loved us. (I John 4:19)

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John John 20 Luke Luke 24 Mark Mark 16 Matthew Matthew 28

The One who is always with us

The gospels

A couple of notes on the resurrection.

I think I will be cutting out Mark 16:9-20 from my commentary since it is considered by most scholars to not be in the original text.

It was apparently added on to Mark by someone, either because Mark died before it was completed or because the original ending was lost.

Second, there is some difficulty in harmonizing the events of the resurrection. What I give here in my blog is my best guess.

The thing to remember, though, is that all the essential facts are the same.

The tomb was empty when the women arrived there. Angels appeared to the women to tell them that Jesus had risen. Jesus appeared to Mary and the women. They all went to tell the disciples.

Lawyers today will tell you that in a court of law, any apparent discrepancies in the testimony of these four sources would not be able to overturn these essential points.

With that, a very quick summary as to what I believe happened.

The women went to the tomb and found it empty. When Mary entered the tomb and found the body gone, she immediately left to tell the disciples.

The other women lingered, however, and at that point, two angels appeared, with one giving them the good news that Jesus was alive. The women ran to tell the disciples talking to no one else along the way. (Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-10)

Meanwhile, Mary told the disciples that the body was gone. (John 20:2). And so Peter and John (probably) went to investigate, with Mary following after.

After they had left, the other women arrived with their tale of the angels. (Luke 24:9-11)

Peter and John then arrived at the tomb and found the body gone, and while John seems to have believed that Jesus rose from the dead, Peter wasn’t so sure. Perhaps discussing the situation, they then left. (Luke 24:12; John 20:3-9)

Mary, by this time had arrived at the tomb. Whether Peter and John were still there when she arrived is not clear, but it’s possible they had already gone.

Jesus then appeared for the first time and spoke to her. She then went to tell the disciples. (John 20:10-18)

As she was on her way, Jesus then appeared to the other women, perhaps as they were on their way back home, discouraged that the disciples had not believed them.

Encouraged once again, they returned and told the disciples what Jesus had told them, bolstered by Mary’s testimony. (Matthew 28:9-10)

I don’t know if that was the exact order of events, but it seems to be a reasonable harmonization to me.

At any rate, I want to focus on Mary for a moment.

The image that strikes me most was Mary in the garden, in the depths of sorrow and despair.

If the order of events were as I imagine, she had not heard the story of the other women. All she knew was that Jesus was gone.

She enters the tomb, and sees the two angels, but because she never heard the other women’s story, she doesn’t recognize the angels for what they are.

So when they ask her, “Why are you crying?” she simply says, “They’ve taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.”

Perhaps the angels were about to tell Mary the truth when they saw Jesus appear behind her.

At first, through her tears, she couldn’t recognize him, but then he spoke her name, “Mary.”

And in an instant, all of her tears of sorrow were washed away by joy.

How often are we like Mary? We’re going through a tough time, and God seems far away. We pray but our prayers bounce off the ceiling. We seek him, but we can’t seem to find him. For all we know, he’s dead.

But the truth is, he is there. Like Mary, we can’t see him, but he is there. And at the proper time, he will reveal himself to us.

So don’t give up. We all go through times of sorrow. We all go through times when God seems distant.

But he is Immanuel. He is God with us. And through the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, he will change our sorrow into joy.

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John John 12 Mark Mark 14 Matthew Matthew 26

True love, false love

The gospels

Here we see a stark contrast in love. One person’s love came from the heart. The other’s came only for what profited him.

Jesus was in Bethany having dinner at the house of a man named Simon. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were all there, as were Jesus’ disciples.

And at the meal, Mary took some expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet and on his head.

Judas’ reaction was immediate.

Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. (John 12:5)

And apparently, the other disciples chimed in with Judas.

John tells us, however, that Judas’ love and concern for the poor was not genuine. Instead,

He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:6)

But of Mary, Jesus said,

Leave her alone… Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.

She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.

I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. (Mark 14:6-9)

Judas’ reaction? He went to the chief priests and betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

We will always wonder why Judas decided to do this, but I don’t think it was simply because Jesus rebuked him in front of the disciples.

I think it went much deeper than that: His love for Jesus (and for others) apparently didn’t go much further than what it benefited him.

As treasurer among the disciples, he was happy to give to the poor as long as he could help himself to some of the money himself. And as a disciple, he was happy to follow Jesus as long as it seemed Jesus would become king.

But time and again, Jesus talked not about ruling as Messiah, but of his death. Perhaps frustrated and fed up with this, Judas thought, “Fine, if you want to die, die.”

And he went to betray him.

Mary’s love, on the other hand, came from her heart. And unlike Judas, who followed Jesus for what he could get, she loved Jesus enough to give him what was precious to her.

I love what John said about what happened when she opened the bottle of perfume. He said,

The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:3)

And that’s what our love for Jesus and others should be like. It should permeate the world around us. It should be so evident, that no one can miss it. Some people, like Judas, will criticize us for it. But to Jesus, it’s a sweet-smelling aroma.

How about you? Is your love selfish, only interested in what you can gain? Or is it a sweet-smelling aroma to Jesus and the world around you?

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Luke Luke 1

Blessed

Mary

When Mary heard that her relative Elizabeth was pregnant, she quickly hurried down to see her.

This is quite understandable considering Mary’s own unusual circumstances. She probably wanted to confirm that this wasn’t just some kind of delusion or dream.

Any such thoughts were quickly dispelled the moment Elizabeth saw Mary. Because Elizabeth’s baby leaped within her, and filled with the Holy Spirit, she said,

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?…

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! (Luke 1:42-45)

There was no human way for Elizabeth to know that Mary was pregnant nor was it possible for her to know that Mary’s baby was to be the Messiah. The only way that she could know was if God told her.

And because of this supernatural knowledge, all remaining doubt Mary may have had dissolved, and she sang,

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. (Luke 1:46-49)

As I look at her words, it reminds me of how God has blessed us as well.

Like Mary, it’s not because we are deserving of anything of God. We are simply his humble servants. It’s not because of the things we have done that we are blessed, but because of the great things God has done.

What has he done for us?

1. He has extended his mercy to us. And not only to us, but to those who came before us, and all who will follow after. (Luke 1:50)

We deserve punishment for all the sins we have committed, but God instead shows us mercy.

Why could he show his mercy to us? Because all his wrath was poured out onto his Son when he died on the cross. And because Jesus took our punishment for us, we can receive God’s mercy instead.

2. He has acted on our behalf. (Luke 1:51)

When Israel was in slavery to Egypt, God humbled Pharaoh and lifted up Moses and the Israelites.

He also cast down nations and rulers that were more powerful than them, and brought them into the land he had promised.

And though his people failed him again and again, nevertheless, he never forgot his promises to Abraham, and has preserved them to this day.

That’s amazing, considering not only how many other races have perished in that time, but also how many times other nations have tried to destroy Israel, even up to the present time.

Just as God has acted on the behalf of Israel, he has acted on our behalf as well. He did so by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. But even now, he continually acts on our behalf.

When our problems are bigger than we are, he brings us victory. When we are in need, he meets those needs. And when Satan seeks to destroy us, God watches over us and preserves us.

So as Mary did, especially in this Christmas season, let us magnify the Lord. For he has done great things for us. And we truly are blessed.

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Luke Luke 1

Surrendered

Luke

If one wonders why an ordinary teenage girl like Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, it can be summed up in one word: Surrendered.

She was a woman completely surrendered to the will of God in her life, and you see it here in this passage.

Six months after appearing to Zechariah, Gabriel appears to Mary, and says,

Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. (Luke 1:28)

Despite Gabriel’s words, Mary is troubled wondering what was going on. So Gabriel said,

Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. (Luke 1:30-33)

Mary could not mistake what the angel was saying. All young women prayed that their child would be the Messiah. But she had a very logical question.

How will this be…since I am a virgin? (Luke 1:34)

Gabriel replied,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)

At this point, some people will say, “Come on. Virgin birth? You don’t really believe that, do you?”

But in this day of modern medicine, we see it all the time. When a couple is infertile, a doctor will take the husband’s sperm and inject it into the woman’s womb. In some cases, they inject the sperm right into the egg.

Are we seriously going to say that God can’t do what human doctors can?

Gabriel knew, however, this was a lot to swallow, and so she told Mary, “Go to your relative Elizabeth. Everyone told her that she would never get pregnant. But now she is. With God nothing is impossible.”

With these words, Mary said,

May it be to me as you have said. (Luke 1:38)

No more arguments. No more objections. Just surrender.

But think about this for a minute. By surrendering to God, she was risking much.

She was risking her reputation with her family and neighbors. She was risking her upcoming wedding to Joseph. And she was even risking her life.

By law, Joseph could have had her stoned (though admittedly, this rarely happened by Jesus’ day).

After all, who would believe that God was responsible for making her pregnant?

But Mary said, “If this is what you want God, I’m willing. No matter the cost.”

She had no guarantees from God. He never promised to preserve her upcoming wedding. He never promised to preserve her reputation.

But she believed in her heart that God was good, and that his plans were good. More than that, she said, “I am yours. I am your servant. Do what you will.”

That’s a heart of surrender. And because she was surrendered, God was able to do great things through her.

How about you? Are you surrendered to God? Are you willing to let everything go in order to follow him?