Matthew 21:23 to 24:51
Mark 11:27 to 13:37
Luke 20:1 to 21:36
Mark 12:13-17 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?“. But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then Jesus said to them, ”Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
God has put these verses in my mind this week in a few different ways. I have been thinking about Pastor Gil’s message on Sunday. We were urged to think about our decision-making. Do my decisions honor God? Do all of them honor God? If I were a nun in a monastery, that question would be easier to answer. There are so many decisions to make, every day. Many of them seem unrelated to my faith in God, but maybe I need to rethink that. There certainly are more times I could stop and pray before I act.
Father God, you have placed me here on this earth, and in this time, for a reason. Help me to always seek, and never overlook that reason. Amen
Becky, transforming
Matthew 21:28-32 Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth ,You think the tax collectors and the prostitutes are bad people. But they will enter the kingdom of God before you enter. John came showing you the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes believed John. And you knew of their belief But you still refused to change and believe him. I don’t believe God is as nearly concerned about polite words and appearances as he is about genuine, heartfelt repentance. To repent means to change both our hearts and our lives. One without the other is incomplete. John the Baptist came preaching repentance. Jesus came preaching repentance. The early disci…
2021-0330 Tuesday of Passion Week, Daily Devotion
Matthew 21:23
Jesus went into the temple and while He was teaching, the chief priest and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked, “And who gave you this authority?”
Meditating this scene reminded me that there are two kinds of questions. One kind of question came out of curiosity wanting to know the truth. The other kind of question came from the jealousy to attack the person who has the authority because the person is not worthy to have the authority or the person who asked the question should have the authority instead of the person. The chief priest and the elders…