EVERY DAY WITH JESUS
Followers (Disciples) of Jesus
A devotional consideration of the Gospel of Saint Matthew
(This is also found on line at Saintlucas.org)
MONDAY, January 2, 2012 Matthew 22:15-22 15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.”
Death and Taxes Sarcastically, people sometimes say that death and taxes are the only two certainties in life. You’re going to die. Until you do, you will pay taxes. Jesus’ enemies tried to use the subject of taxes to trap Him and get Him in trouble. They must have stayed up late at night trying to find clever ways to catch Him and triumph over Him. This time they think they have a winner. Either He will get in trouble with the government or with the people they govern or both.
No chance. Jesus instantly knew their evil intent. He had the pure truth as an answer to their evil lies. Government is a good and necessary gift of God, eventhough those who govern are sinners and the way they govern is therefore very imperfect. The same plague of sin afflicts the people they govern. That plague often leads to despising the authorities that God has established. That should come as no surprise, since sinners despise God Himself - not accepting His will and refusing to follow His way.
Jesus directive to the deceitful delegation from the Pharisees is solid counsel for us who have entered a New Year: “‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’” Our lives and everything about them belong to God. We want to live this year in true faith and sincere obedience to Him. Part of that obedience is to be good examples of people who respect the authorities that God has established (Romans 13:1-7) and who give them the obedience that is due (including taxes).
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, by Your Spirit through faith in Jesus, help me to live this year in sincere obedience to You, discerning and fulfilling Your will in all relationships and circumstances. AMEN
TUESDAY, January 3, 2012 Matthew 22:23-33 23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”
29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[a]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.”
The God “‘...of the living’” God continues to be “‘...the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’”. Although their time on earth is over, their lives have not ended. Their relationship with their God is not over either. It never will be. They lived in faith in Him. They died in faith in Him. Their souls are alive in the presence of God awaiting the resurrection and renewal of their bodies. He IS their God just as He was and will be their God forever. He exists. So do they.
Since you are reading this, you are still alive in this new year. IIn this year of our LORD, 2012 He is our God too. Like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob of the old covenant and Peter, James, John of the new covenant, we believe in the LORD as our Savior. We are alive in Christ. We are also alive for Christ.
PRAYER: LORD, Your grace keeps me alive in 2012, may I use my life to serve You the living God. AMEN
WEDNESDAY, January 4, 2012 Matthew 22:34-40 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”
God’s Will for Our New Year God’s will for our new year could be summed up in a four letter word - L O V E. We live this year conscious of being loved by God through Jesus Christ, our Savior. In Jesus, we know what it means to be loved. We know what love is. We have received it by faith in Christ.
This relationship of faith results in obedience. John was inspired to put it in this simple way: “We love because He first loved us.” (I John 4:19) The commandments teach us what it means to love; both to love God and to love our neighbor.
God’s will for our new year is as simple as it is difficult: “‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...Love your neighbor as yourself.’” There you have it. Go to it.
PRAYER: LORD, enable me this year to see myself as loved by You. Then, let me love You back. Let me love myself as the person who belongs to you. Let me live my life with godly self-respect in Christ. Then, let me love my neighbor with the same love and respect as people who also are or could be in Christ as I am. AMEN
THURSDAY, January 5, 2012 Matthew 22:41-46 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Christ[a]? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,” they replied.
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’[b]
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.”
Who Is the Christ? Of course you know, Christ is not Jesus’ last name. Christ is a word that comes to us from the Greek language. The Hebrew equivalent is Messiah. Christ or Messiah is a title. It is the office that Jesus was given and that He holds for an everlasting term.
Christ or Messiah literally means “the Anointed One”. It means the one chosen and equipped by God for a special mission. The old testament term was the name given to the One Who would come to save the world from sin. In the new testament the title was given to Jesus of Nazareth.
By word and deed God declared and proved Jesus to be the Anointed One. Of course, many refused to accept that designation for Jesus. But, that rejection doesn’t change the reality. He is the One chosen and equipped by God’s Spirit to save the world. And, He has. Well we know how He did that - He lived for us (perfectly). Died (innocently) as our Substitute. Was raised again to guarantee that salvation was accomplished.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I know and therefore believe that You are the Christ, the Messiah, my Savior. God selected and equipped You to do the work of salvation and you got it done! Thank You! AMEN
FRIDAY, January 6, 2012 Matthew 22:41-46 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Christ[a]? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,” they replied.
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’[b]
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.”
Human The Anointed One would be human. Those whom Jesus questioned understood that the Messiah would be “The son of David”. He would be a descendant of that great(est?) King of Israel.
Jesus had a true human nature. He was a physical bodily descendant of David, conceived and born from David’s line through the virgin Mary. He didn’t simply appear as a man. He was a man.
Church tradition (rightly or mistakenly) says that the Magi (Wise Men) saw Jesus in Bethlehem on this day, January 6. January 6th is known as the festival of the Epiphany. Epiphany means the shining forth of Jesus Christ as the Light and Savior of the world. Whatever day it was, the Magi did come to Bethlehem. They did see Jesus. It was not an apparition. They saw a real live body of a true human being.
Jesus still is human. He still has the human nature, which He received in time by the power of the Holy Spirit when He was conceived and born of Mary, He carried that true humanity in lowliness here during His lifetime. He still retains that human nature now in glory and will retain it forever. He is a true human being.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I know and believe that You are the Christ. I accept the marvelous fact that You are human just as I am, yet without sin. AMEN
SATURDAY, January 7, 2012 Matthew 22:41-46 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Christ[a]? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,” they replied.
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’[b]
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.”
Divine Was Jesus really a true human man? Did such a man ever exist? The humanity of Jesus, even His very reality , has been and continues to be questioned and denied by some. That does not change the historical Biblical facts - there was and is an historical Jesus Who truly was and is the perfect human.
Not only is Jesus human, “David’s son”, He is also divine, “David’s LORD”. That man is God. His ancestor, David, knew and confessed that by calling Him “my LORD”. The infinite God is fully contained in the finite body of Jesus. That’s a miracle, perhaps the greatest miracle of all. it’s called the Incarnation, literally, “coming into the flesh”. It’s miraculous. And, it’s true! Jesus is divine. He is the Deity. Our creed thoroughly confesses this truth: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, of one being with the Father.”
The Person that physically stood before the Pharisees had two natures - human and divine. That Man was, is, and will be God.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, enlightened by the Spirit You have sent, with Thomas of old we confess that You are, “My LORD, and my God”. AMEN
SUNDAY, January 8, 2012 Matthew 22:41-46 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Christ[a]? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,” they replied.
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’[b]
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.”
“Maker, Monarch, Savior of All!” The verse from the Epiphany hymn gives Jesus appropriate praise. We joyfully sing its truth. Jesus is our “Maker”. Together with the Father and the Holy Spirit He created us. Jesus is also our “Monarch”. Not only as God but also as man He has all things in His hand, He rules over all. Most of all we rejoice that this “Maker and Monarch” is “Savior of all”!
As the Psalmist (an all of Old Testament Scripture) had promised: “He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins” (Psalm 130:8) Only God could pay the price to ransom us from sin. Amazingly He paid that price by taking on perfect human flesh and blood, in that flesh and blood living perfectly, and, then, offering up that perfect holy life in payment for all sinners, for all sin, for all time.
PRAYER: LORD Jesus, accept my joyful confession of praise, You are indeed for me and for all “Maker and Monarch and Savior of All”! AMEN
