Devotions For The Reconciled Life

Good Friday begins at about 1:30 in the morning, with Jesus being sold out by Judas Iscariot, and seized by soldiers, not just a few armed guards. The Greek word for commander used in John 18:12 is “chiliarchos” which means “the leader of a thousand men.” There was a definite fear that Jesus and the disciples would resist violently. Even the disciples responded as though there would be war, with Peter removing the ear of the high priest’s servant. Then Jesus commanded his disciples put away their weapons. This was not the mighty, conquering king The Twelve had hoped for. Jesus was not playing the part of the war hero who would free the Jews from Roman occupation. Instead, when faced with an opposing army, this King peacefully complied. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, The Savior followed these men to his trials. Two of Jesus’ trials were conducted illegally, and in the dark, by men who hated him. The men who cared so much about the letter of the Jewish law also were the ones who for...

© 2013 Mahieu Summer. Licensed under  CC-BY . The Friday of Holy Week is known as Good Friday.  Why "Good" Friday?  The worst crime ever committed by humanity on a Friday denoted as "Good."  That seems wrong.  "Evil" or "Bad" Friday seems more appropriate.  Some Christian traditions do this: in German, the day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” In English the origin of the term “Good” is debated: some believe it developed from an older name, “God’s Friday.” Regardless of the origin, the name Good Friday is appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God’s plan to save his people from their sins. Good Friday is a crucial day in the history of the world.  Jesus' death and resurrection is the turning point for all creation.  Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all ...

The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum.” This Latin word is also where the English word “mandate” originates.  Mandates are considered non-optional. Maundy is an entirely separate English word though. Maundy is the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor.  Two words, from the same origin point, have two entirely distinct meanings. This occasionally happens in English, but it still is rare. Usually, it happens because a word has a cultural definition that has changed over time. This is true of these two words. Maundy used to mean “commandment-like” and was fitting given as the adjective to Thursday of Holy Week. The church kept this title and started observing a ritual of cleansing each other’s feet, and mainly washing the feet of the poor or lower class. This ceremony follows in Jesus’ actions, gracefully humbled the members of the church, and served the members of the community who would not usually receive service. Over time, Maundy Thursday became synonymo...

Matthew 26:6-16 Wednesday went quietly. Too quietly. With the previous three days awash in drama — Sunday’s triumphal entry, Monday’s temple cleansing, and Tuesday’s temple controversies — now Wednesday, April 1, A.D. 33, comes like the calm before the storm. Out of sight, lurking in the shadows, evil is afoot. The Wednesday of Holy Week is called “Spy Wednesday.”  Spy Wednesday?  Why "Spy"?  After Palm Sunday, the Sanhedrin gathered and plotted to kill Jesus before the feast of Passover. On the Wednesday before his death, Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper. As he sat at the supper table with his disciples, a woman anointed Jesus' head and feet with a costly oil of nard . The disciples were indignant, asking why the oil was not sold and the money given to the poor. But Judas Iscariot wanted to keep the money for himself. Then Judas went to the Sanhedrin and offered to deliver Jesus to them in exchange for money. From this moment on, Judas sought a...

Mark 11:27-33 ; 12:1-44 Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24, 2010. Law & Order was the longest-running crime drama on American primetime television. Its record of 20 seasons ranks as the longest-running hour-long primetime TV series.  The show makes courtroom discourse seem exciting when in reality it is not.  As anyone that has been on a jury can tell you, the courtroom can be very tedious.  Jesus spent much of the Tuesday before His death and resurrection debating in the Temple. Jesus answered the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees, and the scribes (lawyers) as each tried to trap Him in a debate of Scripture.  Throughout His ministry, they had each wanted to catch Him with their arguments.  This final week they all gathered in one day.  He answered them all and destroyed their traps.  The Word used the Scripture to destroy their arguments ( 2 ...

One week.  Only one week.  That is all that remains to complete the work.  There is so much to teach.  So much for the apostles to grasp; to remember as they lead the Church.  After about three years it all comes down to one week.  The last week. Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday.  The day of the triumphant entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.  Today is known as Holy Monday of Easter week.  The Gospels tell us of some of the events that occurred on this day of the Passion week.  Some of the most recognizable of these are the cursing of the fig tree  ( Matthew 21:18-22 ,  Mark 11:20-26 ),  the questioning of Jesus' authority  ( Matthew 21:23-27 ) , the c leansing of the Temple  ( Mark 11:15-18 )  and the teaching of some parables ( Matthew 21:28-46 ) .  Quite a bit for one day, and those are just the highlights! Giuseppe Passeri [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons We see in the ...