Scripture

“She will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Observation

Mary was engaged to Joseph. But before the marriage can take place Mary becomes pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joseph decides to break the engagement, but an angel appears to him in a dream. The angel tells Joseph that he should take Mary as his wife. The baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph is to name the baby Jesus, for He will save people from their sins.

Joseph does as the angel commanded. He takes Mary to be his wife and names the boy Jesus.

Application

It took quite some faith for Joseph to believe that Mary had not been unfaithful. The angel gave him a very strong and powerful message – the baby is the Messiah, and he will save people from their sins.

I wonder about the ridicule and scorn that Mary and Joseph faced. People then could count as they can count today. The neighbours knew that Jesus was conceived before the marriage. Rumours abounded about the boy’s parentage and about the parents’ virtue.

Mary and Joseph paid a big price for the privilege of being the parents of the Messiah.

Following Jesus always costs us. For some it is a social cost – loss of friends, and respect within the community. For others, there is a financial cost. Some even pay with their lives.

But Jesus is the one who saves us from our sins. Any worldly cost is worth paying for the sake of the kingdom.

Prayer

Jesus I acknowledge that you are the one who saves me. Thank you. Amen.

Scripture

All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the messiah.

Observation

Matthew starts he’s account of the life of Jesus with a genealogy, a list of ancestors of Jesus.

Jesus’ ancestry goes back to Abraham, the father of faith and of Israel. Jesus is the one who fulfils the promises given to Abraham.

Application

I am not very good at reading genealogies. Some people get very excited at the significance of these things, but I am not one of them.

There are some important things that stand out.

1. The lineage of Jesus goes right to Abraham. He is a true Israelite. All of the promises given to God’s people – to Israel – are given to Jesus.

2. There are some women in the list because God’s kingdom is not restricted to men alone.

3. There are some Gentiles in the list because God’s kingdom is open to all the nations.

4. Jesus comes from the line of King David. He is the true King of Israel. God promised David that one of his descendants would remain on the throne for ever. Jesus is that one who reigns forever.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for your amazing planning for the lineage of Jesus. Please help me to appreciate your plans for me. Amen

Scripture

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Observation

The eleven disciples go to the mountain in Galilee where they see Jesus and worship him.

Jesus gives them the Great Commission. He has been given all authority on earth; therefore the disciples are to go and make disciples of all the nations. They are to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are to teach their disciples to obey all of Christ’s commands.

He will be with us always, even to the end of the age.

Application

We are to go to the world and make disciples of all nations. That doesn’t mean that I personally have to go to all the nations. But it does mean that I have to go to whatever nation God has called me to.

I have no sense that God is calling me to go anywhere geographically, other than where I am right now. To go into the world for me means that I find ways of going into my community, connecting with unbelievers and not just the saints.

The promise of Jesus is that wherever we go to fulfil that commission, He will always be with us. Whether it is remote Australia, a big city, or a small town, Jesus is always with me. When He sends me for short-term mission trips overseas, He is with me there also.

There are some religions that believe that different territories belong to different gods. We see that in parts of the Old Testament. But Jesus is Lord of all the earth.

There are no places that are more or less sacred than other places. Some places are put to holy uses, and some places are put to evil purposes. But Jesus is the Lord of every place.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for this promise that you are always with me. Help me to shine your light in the dark places. Amen.

Scripture
“Don’t be afraid!” he said.” I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.”

Observation
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb early Sunday morning. Suddenly there is an earthquake, and an angel of the Lord comes and rolls aside the stone in front of the tomb entrance. The guards faint from fear at the sight of the angel.

The angel speaks to the women and gives them the amazing news that Jesus is no longer dead. They are to go and tell the disciples, and they will meet Him in Galilee .

The women run from the tomb full of fear and joy. Jesus meets them on the way. They fall down and worship Him.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees bribe the guards to say that they fell asleep and the disciples came and stole the body.

Application
The death and resurrection of Jesus are amongst the most attested historical facts of the ancient world. Many have tried to disprove the resurrection, but no one has succeeded .

We might think of alternative explanations for the reports of jesus’ resurrection. One that is suggested in this passage is that the disciple stole the body while the guards slept. In any military organisation, sleeping while on duty is a great offence, and in the Roman army this would incur the death penalty. Nobody would willingly own up to this.

The disciples would later suffer great torture and death. If they had faked the resurrection, surely at least one of them would have admitted it. Yet they remained consistent and unwavering in their preaching that Jesus is alive.

Some have speculated that Jesus did not really die on the cross. While in the cooler conditions of the cave, they say He revived and convinced everyone that He had died and was alive again. Yet the injuries suffered in crucifixion, not to mention the spear to His side, would not get better in three days. Jesus’ body was badly broken on the cross. The resurrection narratives all describe Jesus as full of life.

Jesus really did rise from the grave. He died for our sins, and then God raised him to life as a sign of the eternal life we will all inherit with him.

Prayer
Hallelujah! What an awesome miracle this is! Praise God! Amen.

Scripture

“So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first. “

Observation

Joseph of Arimathea, a follower of Jesus, asks Pilate for Jesus’ body. He takes it to his own new tomb and seal the entrance with a great stone.

The next day, the Sabbath, some of the leading priests and Pharisees go to Pilate. They are worried that the disciples will fake a resurrection, so they asked Pilate to seal the tomb. They fear that reports of Jesus being raised from the dead would undermine their positions.

Pilate orders some guards to seal the tomb and guard it.

Application

The Jewish leaders were terrified at the possibility that Jesus could be raised from the dead. They knew that He had often said that He would die, but on the third day He would rise again.

These leaders did not believe that Jesus would really come back to life, but they did believe that the disciples could steal the body and declare that he was risen.

It is tragic to be so locked into fear and unbelief that you have to take precautions to prevent God from intruding on your fear.

In reality, as these people would find out, you can’t keep God out of the world. If the Lord has determined to do something, no person can prevent it, no matter how powerful they seem.

God the Father was determined to set the human race free from sin. No man could have prevented Jesus’ death on the cross on the cross, and no man could prevent could prevent Jesus’ resurrection on the third day.

So we rejoice that Jesus that Jesus has purchased our eternal salvation.

Prayer

Lord God, Heavenly Father, I praise you for your gift of eternal salvation bought for me at the cross. Amen

Scripture
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.

Observation
Jesus is on the cross. At noon, darkness covers the land for three hours. Jesus calls out, “My God, why have you abandoned me?”

Jesus shouts again and releases His Spirit. At that moment, the curtain in the temple is torn from top to bottom, there is an earthquake, and many godly people are raised from the dead.

The centurion overseeing the crucifixions declares, “This man is truly the Son of God.”

Application
Jesus should never be seen as a victim of the crucifixion at the hands of human beings. He willingly went to the cross out of love for all humanity.

Jesus did not die on the cross due to the horrendous physical injuries he experienced. No, he “released his spirit.”

While many observers taunted Jesus with the demand to save himself by coming down from the cross, there was a very different goal in view. Jesus could have easily released himself from the cross. He could have summoned angels to come and minister to Him.

It was Jesus’ voluntary submission to death, despite being the Immortal son of God, that bought our salvation .

Jesus died to give us life.

That is the simple exchange of the Cross .

His death is my life.

His suffering is my atonement.

His humiliation is my vindication.

Prayer
Lord, words are not enough to express my love to you, nor to respond to your love to me. Thank you. Amen.

Scripture

“He saved others,”  they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of the Jews, is he? Let Him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him!”

 Observation

The soldiers mock Jesus. They dress him up as a king, with a scarlet robe and a thorny crown. They mock Him and beat Him. Then they take him to Golgotha to be crucified.

They nail Jesus to the cross then gamble for his clothes. They sit around to guard him. A sign is hung above his head that says “Jesus, King of the Jews”

People passing by mock Him and demand He prove His identity by coming down from the cross. The leading priests and teachers of the law join in this mockery. Even the revolutionaries crucified with Jesus ridicule him.

Application

This would be the absolute lowest point for the Son of God. He is abandoned by his friends and mocked by everyone around him. He is treated like dirt at this point.

The Jewish leaders say,” He saved others, but He can’t save Himself.”  They even claim that if he gets off the cross, they will believe. But they have witnessed countless miracles and healings, even people raised from the dead, and it was not enough to convince them. Even when Jesus himself came back from the dead, they would not believe in him.

How hard of heart does a person have to be to reject all of this evidence?

This is a key to understanding people. It is not about signs and wonders, but about the heart. There are people who have experienced miracles, but remain indifferent to the Lord. Others just take a few words of explanation and they receive the Lord with passion and excitement. To those who refuse to believe, nothing will ever be enough proof.

So the Lord laid down His life for all who will receive His grace – even though it seemed a majority would reject Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for enduring the suffering, torment, and abuse of the cross. Thank you that you love me so much! Amen.