March 8, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Day 19 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Week Jesus Dies
Read Sections 5.9 through 5.11 (pages 140-142)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
Always entertaining to read accounts of the Pharisees trying to trip up Jesus and wind up looking foolish themselves. In fact, I have found reading these accounts this time it is almost comical how often God uses their rebellion and pride in His plan. Their constant questioning would just set Jesus up for profound teaching moments and even the planning and ultimate follow through of Jesus’ death was all part of God’s plan! It was quite contrary to what they thought they would accomplish for themselves and their own selfish ambition every time they tried to challenge Jesus.
Love the Lord with with all you heart, your mind, your soul, and your strength…if we follow that command that allows us to filter everything we do through the mind of Christ and it takes the pride and selfishness out of it and makes it just about being Him being glorified through all we do. I want God to be glorified through me rather than in spite of me like the Pharisees!
5.9 Is It Right to Pay Taxes to Caesar or Not? (Matthew 22:15-22) Love the response here when Jesus answered them. “When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.” God has a way of leaving us speechless.
5.10 Marriage and the Seven Brothers (Matthew 22:23-33) I love how Jesus explains to the Sadducees that the resurrection of the dead is real, and in fact God had made that clear by speaking in the present tense…”I AM the God of Abraham, and the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob” Not I was their God…but present tense…I AM their God, implying they are still enjoying His eternal covenant in the resurrection.
5.11 The Most Important Command (Matthew 22:34-36, Mark 12:29-31, Matthew 22:40, Mark 12:32-34) Total surrender of all that we are to God. Prior to sin, this is what humanity’s natural state…complete and total worship of God. But once sin entered the world, God set about the plan of bringing us back to Him. Though we already belonged to our Creator, He purchased us with His Son’s blood to deliver us from our bondage to sin and death…”you are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The Life of Jesus 5.9-5.11 and Romans 14-16.
Lenten day 19
37 ¶ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’fn
38 “This is the first and great commandment.
39 “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’fn
40 “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
”For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”“
Matthew 22:30-32 NKJV
It is interesting to think of Abraham Isaac and Jacob as still living, another reference to there being a spiritual space outside of physical time.
I also wonder if Jesus’ reference to at the Resurrection people being like the “angels in heaven” is why people think their dead relatives become angels.
Day 19’ 5:9-5:11
The disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians tried to trick Jesus into saying something wrong. Of course He was always aware of their thoughts and motives and always gave the best answer. In this case it was about taxes. Yes we should pay taxes and we should give unto God what is His. We are to live peacefully with all men. In scripture we are commanded to obey the authority over us unless of course it goes against God`s will. 1 Timothy 2:1,2 { I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.} There is another situation earlier when Jesus and His followers had entered Capernaum and those that took the tax money { tax collectors} asked Peter if Jesus pays tax. Jesus said that since He and His followers were strangers they do pay taxes. So He provided a fish with a coin in it to pay for Peter and Himself. We as believers are only passing through for Heaven is our home. This reference of the fish is Matthew 17:24-27. Another trap is being laid by the Sadducees and again they fail where others keep failing. Matthew tells us that they don`t even believe that there is a resurrection and yet they ask a question about the resurrection thinking that it would be impossible for Jesus to answer it. He tells them that they don`t know the scriptures and answers their question. When people go to Heaven they will be like the angels not marrying. This doesn`t mean that we will be angels for scripture never teaches that. Never mind that T.V. shows and movies teach that like Highway to Heaven, It`s a Wonderful Life and so much more it is not what scripture teaches. Scripture does teach that angels can appear to us as human but nowhere does it teach that humans become angels. Hebrews 13:2 { Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.} But scripture instead teaches that we will be like Christ. Not gods of course but we will have bodies like the Resurrected Christ. 1 Corinthians 15: 42-55 Remember how Jesus appeared to His followers after His Resurrection. And now one of the Pharisees tried to test Jesus again. By asking Jesus: Which command in the law is the most important? Jesus of course being God in the flesh answers it perfectly. { The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.} { The second most important command is this: Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.} On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.} KJV God bless us all as we follow His guidance in our lives.
Having a common enemy makes strange bedfellows. The Pharisees found little agreement with the Herodians, but because they were both threatened by Jesus, they share in this questioning. How deceitful for them to say these things about Jesus that they did not believe, but were hoping to butter Him up so as to throw Him off. But Jesus is undaunted and gives the perfect answer to their question about paying taxes to Caesar. He displays His wisdom again in the next two interactions, especially in not getting tripped up by those who were against Him. He does affirm His acknowledgement of the resurrection in answering these Sadducees, but dismisses their question by letting them know there is not marriage in heaven. (For some bad news, for others good news…lol). And Jesus gives another perfect answer in laying out the most important law then and now still….to love God with every fiber of your being and your neighbor as yourself. It truly is behind every part of the ceremonial and moral low….it may not apply to addressing mold and mildew as readily though….lol…
Amen Kelly!! And pastor the Pharisees and the herodians. Reminds me of the day Jesus was condemned. Pilate and Herod became friends !! Wish I could say what I want to call them
Lenten 2024 – Day 19
As Jesus said, we are close to the kingdom of God when we clearly understand the importance of loving him will all our mind, heart, soul and strength. And when we aren’t quite sure how to respond to a circumstance with another person, it is helpful to ask the question “how would we want to be treated in this situation?” Gives us a clearer direction on what the Lord would want us to do next.