Daily Bible Devotionals

“On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee.  Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding as well.  When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother told Him, ‘They don’t have any wine.’  ‘What has this concern of yours to do with Me, Woman?’ Jesus asked.  My hour has not come.’” John 2:1-4 (CSB)

The fifth Commandment reads: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”  Exodus 20:12 (NKJV)

When I was young in my faith, I remember reading today’s passage and wondering if Jesus sinned in His reply to His mother.  Personally, if I ever called my mother “Woman,” she would have slapped me!  In actuality, Jesus’ intent was lost in translation.

In the Greek language, “genu’e” means “woman.” But “genu’e” is endearing, more like “Mother.” Therefore, Jesus is not disobeying the commandment to honor His mother with either His tone or His response.

We know that Jesus honored and cared for His mother, even from the cross.  Before His death, He entrusted Mary’s keep to “…the disciple whom He especially loved.” (John 19:25-27) Also, in the end, Mary regarded Him as Lord, for she was present and praying with the other disciples in the upper room after His resurrection.  (Acts 1:14)

All that said, Jesus’ response to His mother was gracious but commanding.

Imagine yourself in Mary’s shoes.  Since the Angel’s herald, you were told Jesus was destined for greatness.  (Luke 1:35, 43)  Others had also prophesied about Him.  (Luke 2:25-38) Although not always with understanding, you observed His development.  (Luke 2:40, 51) Last, you were told future generations would bless you because of Jesus.  (Luke 1:48)

In today’s passage, Jesus’ comment to His mother was meant to aid her transition from seeing Him as a child to seeing Him as Her Lord.  He kept her from undue pride and indicated that He, as Lord, sovereignly determines when He will intervene in human affairs.  Jesus does not perform miracles on demand to impress His friends or even please His mother.

It is a good lesson for us that God is not our “genie” in Heaven.  We don’t merely rub Him and make a wish.  We are commanded to pray, “Your will be done,” and we must trust He knows the exact hour (even the exact moment) when the miraculous is necessary.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  All things were created through Him, and apart from Him, not one thing was created.  Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men.  That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:1-5 (HCSB)

The deity of Jesus is a touchy subject for many people.  Setting aside the world’s opinions for a moment, it amazes me how many professing believers refuse to recognize that Jesus was fully God and fully man.  Perhaps, they deny His deity because acknowledging it means they must be accountable to Him, that there would be no higher authority to appeal to.  The truth is, we are accountable to His deity, whether we accept it or not, by virtue of His deity!   John is putting this debate to rest.

In Mark 8, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

The disciples responded to Jesus’ question, “Who do people say that I am?” with various descriptions they had overheard the crowds giving: “He’s a good man,” “He’s a prophet,” He’s Elijah or John’ The Baptist’ come to life again.”

Then He asked, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah, the Son of God!” Right you are, Peter.

Within the context & understanding of the average Jew in Jesus’ day, the terms “Messiah” and “Son of God” carried different implications as they may take today.  They were more than words describing a person with a “close affiliation” or “familial relationship” with God.  They were names for God, Himself!

Creation originated from the Godhead Person, known as the “Word of the Lord.”  Even the Psalms are clear on this message.

“For the Word of the Lord is right, and all His work is trustworthy.  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.   The heavens were made by the Word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth.  He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses.  Let the whole earth tremble before the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.  For He spoke and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence.” Psalm 33:4-9 (HCSB)

Jesus is that Person known as “The Word.”  The prophet Micah spoke of His eternal existence:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2 (NKJV)

“The Word became flesh and took up residence among us.  We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (HCSB)

“Now that same day, two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.  Together they were discussing everything that had taken place.  And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus Himself came near and began to walk along with them.  But they were prevented from recognizing Him.”  Luke 24:13-16 (HCSB)

There has been much speculation about Jesus’ appearance to the two gentlemen on the road to Emmaus.  Among the questions raised are: Who were these men, and what does the town of Emmaus have to do with their story?

The battle of Emmaus was the turning point in the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid Greeks in 166 B.C.  This was several generations before Jesus’ birth.  The war began when the Greek King, Antiochus IV  (Who called himself “Epiphanes,” meaning “manifestation of god”), issued decrees that forbade Jewish religious practices.

A young zealot named Judah Maccabee led a small band of Jewish rebels who drove out a much larger and better-trained Greek army.  Towards the end of the war, Antiochus Epiphanes sought to defile the Temple in Jerusalem, erecting a statue of Zeus.  Legend says Antiochus sacrificed a pig on the altar, but scholars debate that.  

After driving out the Greeks, Judah Maccabee, whose name means “Hammer of Judah,” purified the defiled Temple in Jerusalem, rebuilding the altar defiled by Antiochus.  The re-consecration of the Temple is the backdrop for the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah.

So, what does Hanukkah have to do with Jesus’ appearance to the Emmaus road disciples?

Quite possibly, the Emmaus road disciples were hoping Messiah would have been a military leader who would redeem Israel by force.  Their testimony to Jesus indicates such.  (Luke 24:21) After Jesus’ resurrection, they were, perhaps, traveling to Emmaus, assuming Jesus would appear there, the location of the turning point in the last Jewish war against foreign oppressors…to gather His army.  Regardless of the motive of their journey and their willingness to fight and die for God & Country, their understanding of the Messiah’s role was wrong and thus evil.  Seeking God’s will through Worldly counsel always leads you down a path away from God’s will.

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Jesus encountered these men who were walking away from Jerusalem and offered HIS counsel.  They listened to and received His instruction.  They sat at a table with Him as He served them a meal identical to communion.  In response to His revelation, they were restored to Jerusalem by reversing the steps of Psalm 1:1.

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three, because the sun’s light failed.  The curtain of the sanctuary was split down the middle.  And Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.’  Saying this, He breathed His last.”  Luke 23:44-46 (HCSB)

The natural phenomena accompanying Jesus’ crucifixion were predicted several centuries prior to His birth.  The prophet Amos, in particular, gives a graphic account as if he were an eyewitness.

“The Lord has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: I will never forget all their deeds.  Because of this, won’t the land quake and all who dwell in it mourn?  All of it will rise like the Nile; it will surge and subside like the Nile in Egypt.  And in that day – this is the declaration of the Lord God – I will make the sun go down at noon; I will darken the land in the daytime.  I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will cause everyone to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved.  I will make that grief like mourning for an only son and its outcome like a bitter day.”  Amos 8:7-10 (HCSB)

Jesus died at three in the afternoon, precisely when the Passover lamb would have been slain in the Temple.  From the spot where many historians agree was Golgotha, the temple mount is clearly seen.  An idea put forth is that from where His cross was positioned, Jesus could literally see the whole Passover sacrifice being conducted at the Temple.  Is it possible He was watching and waiting until that precise moment, the slaughter of Passover lamb, to give up His Spirit?  

King David recorded another account of Jesus’ redemptive work.  

“Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me.  For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me.  You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.  Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.”  Psalm 31:2-5 (NASB)

While Jesus was giving Himself to redeem the world, He trusted that the Father would esteem His act of sacrifice and redeem Him.  With this, we face a potential problem: 1) Jesus is about to take the world’s sin upon Himself.  2) God is the Righteous Judge, who will by no means clear the guilty.  So, how can a holy God adequately judge sin and still pardon His Son who bore that guilt?  He can do so because, while bearing the sin guilt of the World, Jesus, Himself remained sinless.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says of Jesus, “He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to become sin for us.”  But the idea conveyed is literally “become the ‘sin offering’ for us,” not that Jesus became sin, Himself, for He, remained sinless.  There is no personal sin in a ram or a bull, offered as a sin offering, yet the sin of a nation is imputed to the animal during the ceremony, so Jesus remained personally sinless while bearing the sin of the world.

There is also an interesting observation concerning the Holy Spirit, whose ministry is to reveal the truth.  At Jesus’ death, He entrusted His Spirit to the Father, and the Spirit bore witness on Jesus’ behalf.  I believe Jesus’ last statement from the cross acts as an affirmation & testimony concerning the Trinity…with all three “Persons” present, working in harmony to accomplish both righteous judgment AND redemption for us all.

“‘Lord,’ he told Him, ‘I’m ready to go with You both to prison and to death!’  ‘I tell you, Peter,’ He said, ‘the rooster will not crow today until you deny three times that you know Me.’”  Luke 22:33-34 (HCSB)

The Jewish calendar has three major festivals, collectively known as the “Shalosh Regalim.”  Shalosh means “three,” and Regalim means “feet”…therefore, Shalosh Regalim translates as “Three On Foot.”  Jewish people were required to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem on foot during these three festivals.

The common Jewish reference for “Shalosh Regalim” was “The Three Times.”  

It is essential to know the significance of these festivals because when Jesus told Peter he would deny Him “Three Times,” He was quite possibly referring to Israel’s rejection of the essence of Shalosh Regalim.  So, what are the three festivals, and what do they communicate to the Hebrew mindset?

Pesach:  The Exodus from Egypt and slavery, commonly known as Passover.

Shavuot:  The giving of the Ten Commandments, also known as Pentecost.

Sukkot:  The 40 years when the Israelites wandered in the Sinai Desert, living in temporary shelters.

Each event marks a time of harvest in Israel.  Each symbolically expresses fundamental religious and ethical ideas/values in Judaism and continues with the Church.

Pesach:  God’s miraculous deliverance of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery proves His power to deliver and keep His Word.  Similarly, believers are delivered from the bondage of this world, and we await His promise of ultimate deliverance on the Last Day.

Shavuot:  The giving of the law/God’s revelation.  On Shavuot (Pentecost), God gave the Holy Spirit to those who believed and committed to following Messiah.

Sukkot:  The Hebrews’ miraculous 40-year survival in the desert proves Divine guidance and abiding presence.  God guides believers in Jesus as we trust in Him, leaning not on our understanding but acknowledging Him in all our ways.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

In essence, Jesus’ message to Peter is also His message to Israel as a nation: “You say you will follow me anywhere.  In actuality, you deny Me by denying the spiritual intent of the “Three Times.”  You will deny My power to deliver, My revelation, and My divine presence & guidance…all before your “new beginning.”  (The rooster is a Hebrew symbol of new beginnings because he heralds the dawn of the new day.)

To embark on a new beginning...to be “saved,” WE must 1) Recognize God’s power and desire to deliver us, 2) Admit we fall short of His standard, revealed to us in the Bible, made clear to us by the work of the Holy Spirit.  3) Trust Jesus’ atonement and promise to abide with us, forever, in this life and for all eternity in the Kingdom to come, resurrecting & gathering His own to Himself.

“He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins.  ‘I tell you the truth,’ He said.  ‘This poor widow has put in more than all of them.  For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she has to live on.’” Luke 21:1-4 (HCSB)

On my first visit to Israel, I bought my wife a silver ring.  At the center of the ring is a small copper coin called a “widow’s mite.” The coin is about the size of a child’s pinky fingernail.  It is ludicrous to believe it carried any value.  It is made of the least valuable metal and is so tiny.  Still, Jesus considered this widow’s offering of most significant value.

Times have not changed much since Jesus’ day.  We still live in a culture that values quantity.  The more expensive stuff we have, the wealthier we are considered to be.  

But God values quality over quantity.  In other words, the one who gives the “most” is the one who sacrifices the most.  If you have a million dollars to spare, yet you only give $1,000, then, by Heavenly accounting, the person who only had ten dollars to spare, yet they gave it all, gave the most.  

Sometimes, it is easier to write a check than to roll up your sleeves and join in the work, especially if everyone applauds your donation’s size and envies your lifestyle.

It is not for us to judge another person’s level of sacrifice.  That is the Lord’s role.  God weighs the hearts of men.  Judging the intent of a rich person’s offering is as bad as judging the value of a poor person’s gift.  Giving is a matter of the heart more than a matter of the wallet.  Only the Lord can judge the innermost parts of the heart.

We give to the extent that we trust Him.

What if God required everything from us?  That’s precisely what we owe Jesus.  Everything.  That’s exactly what the widow faithfully gave.  

To quote the old hymn, “Jesus paid it all.  All to Him I owe.”

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Luke 20. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“He went into the temple complex and began to throw out those who were selling, and He said, ‘It is written, My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves!’” Luke 19:45 (HCSB)

The day Jesus cleared the Temple was a day that was announced hundreds of years earlier.  Even in the days of prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Zephaniah, the nation of Israel took the “patience” of the Lord to mean He was either disengaged or impotent to judge their sin.  Even though the prophets would announce God’s judgment, the people kept on sinning.

“On that day, I will punish all who skip over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.  On that day – this is the Lord’s declaration – there will be an outcry from the Fish Gate, a wailing from the Second District, and a loud crashing from the hills.  Wail, you residents of the Hollow, for all the merchants will be silenced; all those loaded with silver will be cut off.  And at that time, I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who settle down comfortably, who say to themselves: The Lord will not do good or evil.” Zephaniah 1:19-12 (HCSB)

As is the case with many in the Church today, the people of Israel had abandoned God’s Word to the point that they felt more at home in the world than with the Lord.

“Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known?  Then, do you come and stand before Me in this house that bears my name and say, ‘We are rescued, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts’?  Has this house, which bears my name, become a den of robbers in your view?  Yes, I too have seen it.” Jeremiah 7:9-11 (CSB)

Some people wrongly believe that Israel’s rejection of Jesus triggered God’s rejection of Israel and signaled His favor of the Gentiles.  This is not so.  Read Romans 11.  

Contrary to popular Christian understanding, it has always been God’s desire for men of all nations to worship Him.  The death and resurrection of Jesus brought understanding to the apostles, namely Paul, of what God’s intent and desire for the nations had always been.  

“Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant— Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.  The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.’” Isaiah 56:6-8 (NKJV)

“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee took his stand and was praying like this: “God, I thank you that I’m not like other people - greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.”  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, “God turn your wrath from me – a sinner!” I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’”  Luke 18:9-14 (HCSB)

Today’s passage teaches a sobering message: Our righteousness is not based on how well we fare against other men.  Rather, how well we measure up to God’s standard.

I understand why the self-righteous prefer to justify themselves against the righteous efforts of other men because when we gaze into the mirror of God’s standard, we despise our reflections!  When we come closer to the holiness of God, our egos shrink and shiver.

But there is good news in the midst of this dilemma.  Jesus has fulfilled the Torah’s (the Law) requirements on our behalf!  

“What the law could not do because it was limited by the flesh, God did.  He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”  Romans 8:3-4 (HCSB)

Righteousness is only obtained by meeting the Law’s requirements which is impossible for us by our effort.  THAT is the great human dilemma.  We need the impossible.  Enter Messiah.  Jesus accomplished for us that which is impossible for men.  He fulfilled the Torah requirements on our behalf.  By His grace, He offers that atonement, free of charge, if we would, by faith, turn from our sin and receive Him.

“For by grace that we are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; but it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)

The great mystery of the Old Testament is that salvation has ALWAYS been by grace, through faith.  Never through works.  Why was the tax collector justified in the Lord’s sight and the Pharisee shown as an object of rebuke?  Because the tax collector humbled himself, confessed his sin, and believed that God, by His grace, would forgive him.

A humble attitude of worship is what the Lord requires of us.  Salvation is a function of God’s grace so that when the object of our faith is Messiah Jesus and His righteous atoning work, God considers our faith in Jesus’ righteousness as if we were righteous.