Jesus Devotional - Day 29
Day Twenty-Nine
Jesus: Real, Relevant, and Radical!
The Final Stone
Matthew 27:62-66(NKJV) On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
The hectic events of the week have suddenly come to a grinding halt. The Sunday crowds are gone. The donkey has been returned to his owners. The last meal has been eaten. The greatest kingdom lesson is in the rearview mirror. The prayer of Jesus has been prayed. The last hymn has been sung. Judas has been paid. The pressing of the garden is finished. Jesus has been kissed. The commotion of a false arrest is over. Peter’s sword has been cleaned. Malchus’ ear has been healed. The false witnesses are dismissed. The spectacle of a kangaroo court is finished. The rooster has crowed. Peter’s denial has been confessed. The crowds’ screams have been silenced. Barabbas has been freed. Pilate’s hands have been washed. His wife’s warning has been given. The soldiers’ cruelty has been dished. Jesus’ cross has been carried. His words from the cross have been spoken. The darkness has subsided. The veil has been torn. The rocks have been split. Jesus’ body has been taken down. Joseph and Nicodemus have wrapped Him up. The women have left. The tomb has been sealed. The guards have been placed. Now, nothing but silence.
Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, is lying in a tomb. Jesus has submitted Himself to the final enemy, death. Even though He is laid in the tomb, His enemies still operate in fear. Their complete loathing of Jesus did not end with Him dying on the cross. It did not end with Him lying in a tomb. While everyone has left, they are still plotting, planning, protecting, and negotiating. You see, religion based on fear will always express itself in hate. Jesus might be dead, but they know His influence is not. So, they throw the final stone, or so they thought...
Fear will make you do irrational things. When driven by fear, you may behave foolishly. Enter the chief priest and Pharisees. Their hatred for Jesus was rooted in fear. Why did they hate Jesus so much? What were they afraid of? They feared losing their power, influence, and, ultimately, their wealth. To them, Jesus was a threat to everything they cherished, especially their money. Luke 16:13-14(NIV) “‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’ 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, some people went to report it to the Pharisees. From their response, we see they are driven by fear. John 11:45-48 (NLT) “Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. ‘What are we going to do?’ they asked each other. ‘This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.’”
That’s the problem with fear: it makes you look stupid. They were afraid the Romans would come and destroy the Temple. So, they rejected Jesus, only to have their fear materialize. Their fears materialized about 40 years later. General Vespasian trapped thousands of Jewish rebels inside Jerusalem, turning the city into one large prison. Then Titus arrived and finished the job, burning everything inside the Temple and ordering every stone to be torn down and pushed into the valley below. Jesus told them this would happen.
The big and impressive thing they trusted in was destroyed. The very thing they tried to protect by killing Jesus ended up being lost. They did not learn their lesson from the stone they tried to roll in front of the tomb. Matthew tells us that the chief priest and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked him to secure the tomb. They were not trying to keep Jesus in; they were trying to keep the disciples out. The words Jesus spoke to them were still ringing in their ears, and they wanted to prevent any possibility of the disciples carrying on some sort of hoax. So, they sealed the stone.
The seal was made of a soft substance, most likely clay, and was imprinted with the Roman imperial seal. It was then attached to the stone with a rope. But that wasn’t enough for them; they also stationed guards in front of the tomb. Their paranoia led them to take extra precautions to prevent any attempts at deception. Why go to such lengths? I mean, if the disciples had been trying to perpetrate some kind of deception, they could have simply said, “Show us Jesus.” You see, fear has a cousin named “Deception.” Deception can be confronted with the truth, but it will still cling to the lie. Deception is very difficult to break deception when it knows that embracing the truth might cost it everything it’s built on. So, they crucified the Truth, sealed His tomb, and hoped that Truth would stay silent forever. “All that we need to do is make sure that Truth is still in the grave after three days. If we accomplish that, we can call the Truth a deceiver and be in the clear.”
“Our temple will be safe, our religion intact, and our money secured.” What is it about human nature that makes us bristle when faced with the truth? Why does the truth often incite anger? Why do we become so defensive when confronted with it? Jesus had no issues with sinners; His problems were with the religious. When we prioritize ritual over relationship, we risk throwing stones instead of building bridges. Persistently embracing a lie will always lead to deception. Deception causes us to act in ungodly ways, yet we justify it in the name of religion.
John 8:44(NLT) “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Deception may try to lock up truth, but truth will always triumph. The Pharisees believed they were safe because Truth was sealed in a tomb. However, they discovered that you can only suppress the truth for a moment because, in the end, it is your deception that will be uncovered. As a child of God, if you feel like you're living in a world that rejects the truth and embraces the lie, be encouraged today. It might be Saturday, and it might seem that truth has been entirely silenced and locked away in our world. But remember, no matter how many stones are placed to hide the truth, it will always triumph.
2 John 1-3(NLT) “This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth— 2 because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.”
Grace, mercy, and peace are with us who live in truth and love. May you walk in truth and act in love.
Prayer:
Jesus: Real, Relevant, and Radical!
The Final Stone
Matthew 27:62-66(NKJV) On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
The hectic events of the week have suddenly come to a grinding halt. The Sunday crowds are gone. The donkey has been returned to his owners. The last meal has been eaten. The greatest kingdom lesson is in the rearview mirror. The prayer of Jesus has been prayed. The last hymn has been sung. Judas has been paid. The pressing of the garden is finished. Jesus has been kissed. The commotion of a false arrest is over. Peter’s sword has been cleaned. Malchus’ ear has been healed. The false witnesses are dismissed. The spectacle of a kangaroo court is finished. The rooster has crowed. Peter’s denial has been confessed. The crowds’ screams have been silenced. Barabbas has been freed. Pilate’s hands have been washed. His wife’s warning has been given. The soldiers’ cruelty has been dished. Jesus’ cross has been carried. His words from the cross have been spoken. The darkness has subsided. The veil has been torn. The rocks have been split. Jesus’ body has been taken down. Joseph and Nicodemus have wrapped Him up. The women have left. The tomb has been sealed. The guards have been placed. Now, nothing but silence.
Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, is lying in a tomb. Jesus has submitted Himself to the final enemy, death. Even though He is laid in the tomb, His enemies still operate in fear. Their complete loathing of Jesus did not end with Him dying on the cross. It did not end with Him lying in a tomb. While everyone has left, they are still plotting, planning, protecting, and negotiating. You see, religion based on fear will always express itself in hate. Jesus might be dead, but they know His influence is not. So, they throw the final stone, or so they thought...
Fear will make you do irrational things. When driven by fear, you may behave foolishly. Enter the chief priest and Pharisees. Their hatred for Jesus was rooted in fear. Why did they hate Jesus so much? What were they afraid of? They feared losing their power, influence, and, ultimately, their wealth. To them, Jesus was a threat to everything they cherished, especially their money. Luke 16:13-14(NIV) “‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’ 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, some people went to report it to the Pharisees. From their response, we see they are driven by fear. John 11:45-48 (NLT) “Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. ‘What are we going to do?’ they asked each other. ‘This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.’”
That’s the problem with fear: it makes you look stupid. They were afraid the Romans would come and destroy the Temple. So, they rejected Jesus, only to have their fear materialize. Their fears materialized about 40 years later. General Vespasian trapped thousands of Jewish rebels inside Jerusalem, turning the city into one large prison. Then Titus arrived and finished the job, burning everything inside the Temple and ordering every stone to be torn down and pushed into the valley below. Jesus told them this would happen.
The big and impressive thing they trusted in was destroyed. The very thing they tried to protect by killing Jesus ended up being lost. They did not learn their lesson from the stone they tried to roll in front of the tomb. Matthew tells us that the chief priest and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked him to secure the tomb. They were not trying to keep Jesus in; they were trying to keep the disciples out. The words Jesus spoke to them were still ringing in their ears, and they wanted to prevent any possibility of the disciples carrying on some sort of hoax. So, they sealed the stone.
The seal was made of a soft substance, most likely clay, and was imprinted with the Roman imperial seal. It was then attached to the stone with a rope. But that wasn’t enough for them; they also stationed guards in front of the tomb. Their paranoia led them to take extra precautions to prevent any attempts at deception. Why go to such lengths? I mean, if the disciples had been trying to perpetrate some kind of deception, they could have simply said, “Show us Jesus.” You see, fear has a cousin named “Deception.” Deception can be confronted with the truth, but it will still cling to the lie. Deception is very difficult to break deception when it knows that embracing the truth might cost it everything it’s built on. So, they crucified the Truth, sealed His tomb, and hoped that Truth would stay silent forever. “All that we need to do is make sure that Truth is still in the grave after three days. If we accomplish that, we can call the Truth a deceiver and be in the clear.”
“Our temple will be safe, our religion intact, and our money secured.” What is it about human nature that makes us bristle when faced with the truth? Why does the truth often incite anger? Why do we become so defensive when confronted with it? Jesus had no issues with sinners; His problems were with the religious. When we prioritize ritual over relationship, we risk throwing stones instead of building bridges. Persistently embracing a lie will always lead to deception. Deception causes us to act in ungodly ways, yet we justify it in the name of religion.
John 8:44(NLT) “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Deception may try to lock up truth, but truth will always triumph. The Pharisees believed they were safe because Truth was sealed in a tomb. However, they discovered that you can only suppress the truth for a moment because, in the end, it is your deception that will be uncovered. As a child of God, if you feel like you're living in a world that rejects the truth and embraces the lie, be encouraged today. It might be Saturday, and it might seem that truth has been entirely silenced and locked away in our world. But remember, no matter how many stones are placed to hide the truth, it will always triumph.
2 John 1-3(NLT) “This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth— 2 because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.”
Grace, mercy, and peace are with us who live in truth and love. May you walk in truth and act in love.
Prayer:
- Pray that you will walk in the freedom of God’s love and avoid operating in fear.
- Ask the Lord to help you be perfected through His love because perfect love casts out fear.
- Ask the Lord to help you build bridges into people’s lives instead of casting stones.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit reveals any area in your life where you're not walking in truth.
Posted in Jesus Devotional