Day 24 with Jesus: “Betrayal”

Day 24 is entitled “Betrayal,” and presents only a few short passages.  We see Judas agreeing to betray Jesus, we see Jesus teaching publicly one last time, and we see the preparations made for the Passover feast.

Much of this chapter is taken by the author digging into the debate of “Which day was the Last Supper on?”  He takes the less popular view that the Last Supper was on Wednesday night, and was not the Passover feast.  You can read his comments and think through it for yourself.  The more common view is that the Last Supper was a Passover feast, based on passages like Luke 22:15, and was on Thursday night, since the next day was Christ’s crucifixion and was said to be the preparation day of the Sabbath (Luke 23:54), which is more naturally taken as Friday (the weekly Sabbath day was Saturday).

Since the Jews seemed to be very flexible with the meaning of the terms “Sabbath,” “Passover,” and “Feast” during the entire Passover week, each side understands the verses a little differently, and it may be impossible to definitively answer the question.  I suppose you could say we are not 100% sure whether it was Wed night or Thurs night, and in the bigger scheme of things it doesn’t really matter a whole lot.  But perhaps an interesting study nonetheless.

The big thing for our readings: the betrayal has been arranged, and the Last Supper (whenever it was) is soon to begin…

Day 24′s readings, in order: Matthew 26:1-5, Luke 22:3-6 combined with Matthew 26:14-16, Luke 21:37-38, John 12:37-50, Luke 22:7-13.

Day 22 with Jesus: “Rebuke”

Saturday is Day 22, entitled “Rebuke.”  Jesus has harsh rebukes for the fig tree and – after they continually tried to trap Him – the religious leaders.  In fact, we find in today’s readings the harshest words Jesus had for anyone on earth – and they were directed at the ones who were supposed to be the strongest religious leaders.

Saturday’s readings, in order: Mark 11:20-25 combined with Matthew 21:20-22, Mark 11:27-33, Matthew 21:28-32, Mark 12:1-9 (with details from Matt 21:33-41 and John 20:9-16), Matthew 21:42-22:14, Matthew 2:15-22 (with details from Luke 20:20-26), Matthew 22:23-33, Mark 12:28-34, Matthew 22:41-46 combined with Mark 12:35-37, Matthew 23:1-39, Mark 12:41-44.

Day 21 with Jesus” Triumph”

Today is Day 21, entitled “Triumph,” which tells of the Sunday and Monday of that final Passover week.  Jesus makes a triumphal entry into Jerusalem in one of the great scenes in all the Bible.  You’ll notice that we still have 10 days remaining, and we’re already beginning the final week that Jesus is crucified, which tells you just how much the gospels record about Christ’s final days.  The Jewish leaders are still trying to arrest Jesus, but are afraid of the crowds, who love Him.

Today’s readings, in order:  John 12:12-13, Luke 19:29-35 (combined with details from Matt. 21:1-7, Mark 11:1-7, and John 12:14-16), Luke 19:36-40 combined with Mark 11:8-10, Luke 19:41-44, Matthew 21:10-11 combined with John 12:17-19, Mark 11:11-17, Mark 11:18 combined with Luke 19:47-48, Matthew 21:14-16, John 12:20-36, Mark 11:19.

Day 20 with Jesus: “Value”

In Chapter 20, “Value,” we see the last ministry of Jesus before He begins that final week in Jerusalem.  He teaches about divorce, wealth, and humility.  He passes through Jericho, meeting Zaccheus and healing Bartimaeus.  The chapter ends with the Jews plotting Jesus’ arrest during Passover time, and we find that they want to now kill Lazarus as well!  Jesus arrives back with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus at Bethany, ready for Passover week.

Day 20’s readings, in order: Matthew 19:3-9, Matthew 19:10-12 combined with Mark 10:10-12, Mark 10:13-27, Matthew 19:27-30, Mark 10:32-34 combined withLuke 18:31-34, Matthew 20:20-23 and Mark 10:35-40, Mark 10:41-45, Luke 19:1-10, Mark 10:46-52 combined with Luke 18:35-43, Luke 19:11-28, John 11:55-57, Matthew 26:6-13 combined with Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:1-8, John 12:9-11

Day 19 with Jesus: “Friendship”

Day 19 gives us a short chapter entitled “Friendship.”  Here we find that Mary and Martha had a brother, Lazarus, who had also become very dear to Jesus.  Mary, Martha, and Lazarus all live in Bethany near Jerusalem, but Jesus has recently withdrawn from those who sought His life across the Jordan to Perea.  Lazarus becomes very sick, and by the time Jesus comes to them, Lazarus has died.  What follows is one of the greatest stories in all the Bible on several different levels.  We see Christ’s power, we see His love, we see His friendship with people.

The raising of Lazarus from the dead takes Jesus’ popularity to a still-higher level, and the religious leaders begin plotting more seriously to take His life.  The chapter ends with Jesus once again withdrawing to more quiet areas – the last time He will withdraw from those who seek to kill Him.

Today’s reading: John 11:1-54.

Day 18 with Jesus: “Warning”

Day 18 is entitled “Warning.”  In this chapter, we spend time almost exclusively in the Gospel of Luke, the gospel which records the most about this period of teaching in Perea (the area across the Jordan River from Jerusalem).  Jesus has moved away from Jerusalem to avoid those trying to kill Him – at least for a short time – but even here He finds controversy with the religious leaders, who continue to follow Him around.  Along the way, we find some of Jesus’ best known parables and teachings, and I think we all will find at least one thing in these readings to challenge our faith.

If you’re reading without the book, Thursday’s readings, in order: Luke 13:22-16:31, Luke 17:20-37, Luke 18:1-14, Matthew 20:1-16.

Day 17 with Jesus: “Giving”

Chapter 17, entitled “Giving,” takes us to the December before the coming spring’s Passover week, during which Jesus will eventually be tried and crucified.

Today, Jesus ends His multi-year Galilean ministry, and heads south through Samaria toward Jerusalem.  As he travels, in the second and lesser-known “limited commission,” Jesus sends out 72 disciples to teach, preach, and heal in His name.  In this chapter we also meet Mary and Martha for the first time, a family that quickly became very dear to Jesus, and will play a key role in His last few months.  The chapter ends with Jesus in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), during which there is another attempt to seize Him for blasphemy, and so He flees across the Jordan to preach there for a short time.

If you are following along without a book, Day 17’s readings, in order: Luke 9:51-56, Luke 17:11-19, Luke 10:1-1-24, Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 10:25-11:13, John 10:22-42.

Day 16 with Jesus: “Questioning”

First of all, since there are actually 31 days in the book: today we cross the half-way mark!  To those of you who are behind: don’t give up!  Some of you have said you are on the “60 Days withJesus” plan.  ;)  That is fine – try to catch up with us if you can, but keep reading nonetheless.  We want all of us to spend time in the life story of Jesus.  If it would be helpful to put these emails in a separate folder and read them as you come to each chapter, feel free.

Day 16 brings us to the Feast of Tabernacles, meaning the last 2 chapters have covered about 6 months, from the Passover (late winter/early spring) until the Feast of Tabernacles (fall).  The book’s author thinks Jesus did not attend the last Passover, but we really don’t know, and if I had to guess I would say that He attended since the Law required it.

Here at the Feast of Tabernacles, it is clear that Jesus has everyone’s attention.  Everyone is looking for Him, knowing He should be coming to Jerusalem for the feast.  We get hints of all the Jewish dinner table conversations, where people are constantly discussing Jesus: is He a good man?  Is He the Christ?  Where is He from?  Did you hear about His miracles?  Did you hear the claim that He was an illegitimate child?  Why are the leaders wanting to kill Him?  Did you hear they threatened to throw people out of the synagogue if they acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah?

Jesus has everyone’s attention, and He once again uses a Jewish feast as an opportunity to perform a hard-to-ignore miracle: giving sight to the blind man.  This gives His teaching that much more credibility, and He continues to tell whoever will listen that He is the Son of God.  Today’s readings close with the Jews remaining divided over what to think about Jesus.

We are now down to the last 6 months of Jesus’ life, as that final Passover is approaching in the spring…

For those of you reading along without a book, today’s readings are much simpler than yesterday’s bouncing around!  Today: John 7:2-10:21.

Day 15 with Jesus: “Recognition”

Day 15 is Saturday, and it is entitled “Recognition.” Here we see Jesus more and more being recognized for who He is.  This is highlighted by Peter’s confession and the Mount of Transfiguration.  We are nearing the end of Christ’s ministry in Galilee, and we have only a few more days of readings that offer glimpses of the last year of His ministry.  Then we will be in the final week of His life, of which we know quite a bit.

If you are following without the book, Saturday’s Day 15 readings, in order: (quite a few short readings again today!)

Matthew 15:21-28 combined with Mark 7:24-30, Mark 7:31-37 (with details from Matthew 15:29-31), Mark 8:1-10, Matthew 16:1-4 (with details from Mark 8:11-13), Matthew 16:5-12 (with details from Mark 8:14-21), Mark 8:22-26, Matthew 16:13-23, Mark 8:34-9:1, Matthew 17:1-8, Matthew 17:9-13 (with a detail from Luke 9:36b), Mark 9:14-29 (with details from Matthew 17:14-21), Mark 9:30-32, Matthew 17:24-27, Matthew 18:1-4 (with details from Mark 9:33-35 and Luke 9:46-48 and Luke 17:7-10), Matthew 18:5,6,10-14 (with details from Mark 9:36-37,42), Mark 9:43-50 (with details from Matthew 18:7-9), Mark 9:38-41, Matthew 18:15-35 (verses 21-22 include details from Luke 17:3-4).

Day 14 with Jesus: “Nourishment”

Chapter 14 – entitled “Nourishment” – brings us into the second year of Christ’s ministry, since John 6:2-4 tells us we are nearing another annual Passover feast, and we’ve already had one in John 2.

As the crowds multiply, we see Jesus perform the only miracle recorded in all 4 gospels: feeding the 5000.  After the mind-boggling evening of Jesus walking on the water, we then spend time in John’s gospel, which is the only one that tells of the long (and rather pointed) discussions the day after the feeding of the 5000.  We then find the religious leaders sending delegations from Jerusalem to critique Jesus and His popular movement, and the chapter ends with another confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees, followed by the note in John 7:1 about Jesusavoiding Judea (the area around Jerusalem) because the Jews there were looking for a way to have Him killed.  The religious leaders are transitioning from angry to murderous, and the shadow of the cross is starting to come into view.

For those without a book, today’s readings are rather choppy, but here they are in order: (1) Mark 6:34 combined with details from Luke 9:11b and John 6:2-4, (2) Mark 6:35-44 combined with John 6:5-14, (3) Mark 6:45-46 combined with John 6:15-17a (4) Mark 6:47-50 combined with John 6:17b-21 (5) Matthew 14:28-33 with details from Mark 6:51-52  (6) Mark 6:53-56  (7) John 6:22-71  (8) Mark 7:1-13  (9) Mark 7:14-23 combined with Matthew 15:10-20  (10) John 7:1.