How did Jesus get himself in trouble with the authorities? What was his crime? He did not preach heresy, dishonor the temple, or disparage the Scriptures. In fact, his teaching threw greater light on the Scriptures and he restored the dignity and sacredness of the temple, while removing and denouncing its corruption.

Jesus got himself in trouble by pointing out the compromise and failure of the current system and announcing to the crowds that there was another, better way to walk with God. That is why the gatekeepers of the old system–the institution–wanted him dead. That is why they treated him as a robber. In their eyes, he was a robber. If the common people followed him, the current leaders would eventually lose their positions of religious authority and political power (Jn. 11:48).

Jesus was not an “outlaw” (Good News Bible), rather he fulfilled the law. But because certain leaders wanted to hang on to their wealth and control of religion, and many people wanted hang on to their egos, Jesus was labeled an outlaw. That is why the mob entered the Garden of Gethsemane with swords and clubs, because He was righteous and they were not.

O Jesus, You are truly our Champion. You did not reject Your Father’s house, but took a stand against the true robbers who had made it their den. You walked apart from conventional religion, not because it was rotten at the core, but because it had lost its core. You were not an outlaw, but an outsider, who “suffered outside the gate.” Give us the grace and courage to join You there, regardless of the consequences.

Jesus did not imply that the disciples were cowards because they would “fall away” that night nor scold them for abandoning him in his hour of need. His point had less to do with their actions later on and everything to do with the fact that he was telling them something about himself, “I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered” (v. 31). Jesus was not criticizing his sheep for scattering, that is what sheep do.

Although Jesus did not present his prediction of their flight as a challenge, Peter took it as one. Assuming that the Lord was accusing him of cowardice, Peter exclaimed, “I will never desert You!” This was not the response Jesus wanted to elicit from his disciples. This sad hour was not about Peter, yet he seized it and made it about himself. In doing so, he set himself up for even greater failure and grief.

The self-denial that Jesus demands of his followers means we must relinquish the idea that we are the center of the universe (Mt. 16:24-25). It means we have to remind ourselves sometimes, “It is not about me.” Some people read the Bible and assume all it has to say to them is how bad they are and that God has condemned them. But we get at the truth only when we are able to forget ourselves and bring our attention to the Lord Jesus. We then discover God’s love and mercy.

You knew, O Lord, what Your disciples were going to do, but they had no idea what was going to happen to You or the agony You felt that last night together. Were You looking for compassion, sympathy, and support from them? If so, how sad it was that they could only think of defending themselves needlessly. Help us, Jesus, to get out of ourselves. Be always in the foreground of our thoughts and may we fade into the background.

“Jesus took some bread.” Have you ever tried to imagine Jesus’ mannerisms? Have you wondered how his hands looked when reaching for something, his posture when he reclined at a table, the slant of his shoulders or the tilt of his head? Are these things important? Only to someone who in love with Jesus.

In Jewish homes of Jesus’ time, nothing was more commonplace than bread. Jesus took this ordinary food in his hands, gave it a meaning, turned it into a ritual, and made it extraordinary. Consider the ordinary nature of the signs God used in previous covenants–a rainbow, circumcision, day and night, etc. (Gen. 9:8-17; 17:10; Jer. 33:20-21). In a similar way, Jesus sets His hand on ordinary objects around us, giving them a sacred usefulness so that through them we become more aware of him and our bond with him is strengthened.

What is Jesus touching in this present moment? What ordinary object at hand  is potentially sacred if only we had the eyes of faith? What is being turned into a symbol? a mystery revealed? a door to greater awareness? (Gen. 28:17). Oh, for eyes to see and ears to hear!

O gracious and loving Savior, please take us as You took the bread and transform us into something extraordinary. We are not the Bread of Life, but we are pieces broken from that loaf. May we feel the touch that fits us for God’s work in the world as channels of His mercy, goodness, and healing. May we hear the blessing You pray over us. Apart from Your touch and blessing, we will go on being our silly, dysfunctional selves. If necessary, continue to break us until You see in us all that You desire, and then give us to the world.

The life of Judas would make an interesting documentary. Where was he born? Who were his parents and how did they raise him? Was he teased and bullied by other children? What were his personal struggles? Was he insecure in life and feel pressured to grasp at money? How did he meet Jesus and why did he choose to become a disciple? What made him the sort of person who would betray Jesus?

The purpose of the documentary would not be to portray Judas as a victim of his circumstances who could not do anything other than what he did–after all, any of the disciples could have played his role, for one by one they each asked Jesus, “Surely not I, Lord?” Rather, we would want to know if Judas ever saw a glimmer of the truth of Jesus, felt a twinge of joy when people were healed, or for a moment was enthralled by Jesus’ message. In his last action, did Judas put an end to a miserable life, a happy one, or a mediocre one?

What a contrast between Jesus and Judas! “That man” sitting next to “the Son of Man.” While the Son of Man would soon go, it would have been better for that man had he never been born. Was Jesus seriously sad for Judas? Was the Lord making one final appeal to him? giving him one last warning?

In humble reverence, we thank You Jesus for never giving up on us. We who have betrayed You in thought or deed, who have turned from Your will to our own, and have given other loves the devotion that is Yours alone. Find in our hearts a reward for Your suffering. Set Your flame to our love and make it pure, breathe on our faith and make it strong. May we belong to You completely today, tomorrow, and forever.

We cannot remove death from this passage. Jesus announced it, the priests plotted it, the perfume prepared his body for it, and Judas began looking for an opportunity to arrange it. Jesus was only days from the cross and between this moment and his death, he would suffer betrayal, beatings, and abandonment.

Into this scene, shadowed as it s by death, a woman enters and suddenly the atmosphere is filled with the fragrance of a “costly perfume.” When Jesus defended her from the unkind criticism of the disciples, he interpreted her actions in a way that no one would have guessed, “For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial” (v. 12). In those days, spices were sprinkled in the cloth that was wrapped around a body before it was buried. This was the final kindness shown to a loved one. As far as Jesus was concerned, the woman had done “a good deed” for him.

The woman chose to do something for Jesus and him alone, and it upset the disciples. Jesus was always the giver and never, until now, the receiver. Finally there came to him someone who was not asking to be healed, forgiven, blessed, or to looking for the secret to eternal life. Her only desire was to love Jesus and give him the best that she had to offer. And the disciples called it a “waste” (v. 8).

Lord Jesus, we realize that there are many different Christian traditions in this world and we do not all share the same form of worship. By Your Spirit, remind us of this woman if we are tempted to call someone else’s act of love a waste, excessive, undignified, too emotional, too ritual, or too sentimental. Let us see their reverence through Your eyes, hear their prayers and songs through Your ears, and feel their devotion to You with Your heart, so that even if their actions seem strange from our point of view, we recognize the good thing they are doing for You. As for us, may we learn from her to give You the best we have to offer–to give You everything.

“The least” is the easiest person to overlook; they make the smallest contribution, yet they have the greatest needs. The least could be someone who is poor and unattractive, someone shy and friendless, someone disabled or deformed, someone always in trouble, someone not bright, pleasant, or considerate. The least is the person who can be ignored without suffering personal loss or damage to the institution. The least can disappear and no one misses them or asks what happened to them.

The Lord Jesus was not interested in good deeds performed for important people; there is no reward for a kindness shown to a superior. Jesus’ heart is for the least important people, for they are his brothers and sisters. In fact, his concern for them is so great, he is willing to stake our eternal destiny on our care for them. At the end of this parable, whether we march into life or are thrown in the fire depends on our treatment of the least.

Where in the gospels do we find Jesus telling us, “You must receive Me into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior?” What we hear him say is, “Feed the hungry, help the stranger, clothe the naked, visit those who are sick and in prison. Take care of My brothers and sisters, especially the least among them.”

Forgive us, O Lord, for being so enthralled by wealth and beauty, for catering to the whims of the high and mighty while turning our backs on the weak and lowly. We watch You touch the leper, show compassion to the blind, and take time for the children to hold them in Your arms. Open our eyes to the person we have trained our minds to not see. Create in us an eagerness for that next opportunity to do something for You by doing it for the least of Your brothers or sisters.

Jesus measures the work he gives us, matching our resources to our ability. He will not demand of us anything we cannot give him nor will he set us up to fail. If our ability is equal to two talents, he will not give us five; if our ability is limited to one, he will not give us two. But if he gives us one, he knows we are able to produce something more with it.

We cannot concern ourselves with the resources Jesus has given to other believers or envy their talents. If he knows they are capable of doing and managing more than we can do or manage, then we can trust his wisdom, accept our humble role, and rejoice in the successes of those whose work in God’s kingdom is greater than our own.

The first slave was wise to “immediately” put his talent to work. The absence of the master is what creates the tension and temptation in the story. It is also what makes the present moment so critical, because once the master returns (v. 19) and the door is shut (v. 10), there will be no more opportunity to make something of this life. We do not want to die with money in the bank, unwritten books in our minds, or unfulfilled intentions to do good in our hearts.

O Lord, it is clear that mere talent or money is not Your primary concern and that You have already given us everything we need to please You. We learn from Your teaching that the “real deal” is not the person who works wonders, but the person who does good for others. Walk with us, Lord, and when we are tempted to be “wicked” or “lazy,” bring someone our way who can use our love and help.

In this passage, Jesus tells the first of three stories that illustrate and illuminate the last section of Matthew 24. Ten virgins took their lamps and ventured into the night to meet the bridegroom. When he arrived, he was going to usher them into the wedding feast. But then Jesus introduced a complication into the story, “the bridegroom was delaying.”

The bridegroom’s late arrival exactly describes our experience. Although Jesus told the disciples that no one knew the “day or hour” of his return, they certainly expected it to happen in their lifetime (Mt. 24:32; Acts 1:6). Many of Jesus’ predictions in Matthew 24 were fulfilled within forty years of his death and resurrection. But other predictions, now some two thousand years later, remain unfulfilled.

When someone is a little late for an appointment, we get impatient. If they are very late, we get worried. If they are unreasonably late, we give up hope that they will ever arrive. When Jesus told this parable, did he know a day would come when many would despair of his return? If so, what is he telling us? Just this, that it is our wisdom to adjust to the tension of our situation by behaving as if he were going to return tonight and preparing as if he will not return in our lifetime.

O Jesus, we are relieved that You did not find fault with the ten women for falling asleep, but only with the five for not being “on the alert.” To our way of thinking, it seems You should have arrived by now. It seems that our prayers for enlightenment to Your will, a stronger resistance to sin, and a closer relationship with You should have been answered by now. Give us grace to live with delays without losing our edge or missing the opportunities to notice Your daily movements through our world when You do pass our way.

Jesus made a point of emphasizing that the hour of his coming was not only unknown, but that it would arrive unexpectedly (Mt. 24:36, 44). For that reason, his disciples had to live “on the alert.” How does a person do that? How can we prepare ourselves for an event that will occur exactly when we do not think it will? The answer comes down to how we treat others and it is illustrated in Jesus’ parable of the faithful and evil slaves.

Drawing a contrast between the two slaves, Jesus said the faithful slave feeds others, the evil slave feeds himself; the faithful slave acts responsibly, the evil slave abuses his fellow slaves; the faithful slave keeps the will of his master in mind, the evil slave assumes the master will be gone so long that his will is irrelevant; the good slave receives his master’s blessing, the evil slave receives punishment.

Although Jesus knew he would be gone from his disciples for “a long time,” it is obvious that he wanted them to always keep him in mind. True lovers never forget each other, even when separated by thousands of miles for months or years. They cherish memories, keepsakes, and photographs, and correspond as frequently as possible. In a similar way, Jesus desired to leave on our souls an impression of himself that would keep the flame of our heart burning for him, even through the long years of waiting to be united with him.

It is Your pleasure, Lord Jesus, to show Your love to all the world and to do so through those who know You. Grant us Your grace, O Savior, to be the faithful servants who do not beat others, but feed them and do not abuse others, but heal them in Your name. May people discover through our lives, actions and words, the infinite love of the Father, the eternal mercy of the Son, and the never failing grace of the Spirit.

It is possible to take select passages from the Bible and form a picture of God in which he is an infinitely superior Being who is beyond the reach of humankind, yet very demanding. This view is consistent with the notion that we were on his bad side from the day of our birth and must always fight the negative momentum of our moral flaws. So, even when trying our hardest to please him, we are still breaking rules we never knew existed.

In the heart and mind of Jesus, God was “the Father”–not only his Father, but “our Father.” The God whom Jesus represented was the one Person we could count on to care for us, watch over us, and in his mercy treat us with compassion, kindness, and understanding.

Jesus did not think is was necessary for him to know the day of his return–it was enough that the Father knows. In fact, there are many things that are known to “the Father alone.” God knows what breaks our hearts, gets to us, makes us feel like giving up. God knows the number of our days and everything else there is to know about us. Our “Father alone” can be trusted with this information (Ps. 139). He uses it to heal, guide, and protect us as we journey through life.

O Jesus, Son of the Father, we thank You for entering our world and through Your words, deeds, and life, reveal to us the heart of God. In Your goodness we discover that, even when we disappoint Him, the Father loves us. We realize our responsibility to learn truth and solve riddles that hinder our growth, but we also understand that there are things we cannot know and it is best to leave them to the Father. O Lord, strengthen our trust in You.