Full Reading: Luke 22:68-23:49 Selective Reading: Luke 23:32-43 When I was in high school, I wrote a short narrative, imagining the backstory of the thief who was crucified next to Jesus. I called it “A Sinner’s Prayer.” It was a fictionalized account of what led this thief to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Had he […]
Category Archives: Holy Week
Daily Reading for Holy Week: Thursday, April 6, 2023
Full Reading: Luke 22:7-65 Selective Reading Luke 22:35-38 There was a lot going on the night that Jesus was betrayed. He instituted the Lord’s Supper, He foretold Peter’s denial, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He was betrayed by Judas with a kiss. Yet, there is a peculiar statement tucked away in Jesus’ […]
Daily Reading for Holy Week: Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Full Reading: Luke 22:1-6 Luke does not provide us with many details as to Judas’s motivation to betray Jesus, but it is safe to assume that he was tempted by greed. However, Luke’s Gospel does reveal that Satan entered Judas to help facilitate this dastardly act. Interestly, Satan had requested authority over the other disciples […]
Daily Reading for Holy Week: Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Full Reading: Luke 20:1-21:38 Selective Reading: Luke 20:9-18 I hope you’ve carved out enough time for today’s Scripture reading. There is a lot. But even if you don’t read everything, I hope that you will at least take the time to focus on the parable of the wicked tenants. Many of Jesus’ parables are complex, […]
Daily Reading for Holy Week: Monday, April 3, 2023
Monday, April 3, 2023 Full Reading: Luke 19:45-48 The Monday following the Triumphal Entry was quite the contrast of events from the day before. Luke doesn’t make a clear distinction between the days, but we know from Mark’s Gospel that by the time Jesus had arrived at the temple on Sunday, it was already late […]
Daily Reading for Holy Week: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Sunday, April 2, 2023 Full Text Luke 19:11-44 Selective Reading Luke 19:41-44 Every year, when Palm Sunday comes around, I struggle to understand how I am supposed to feel. In one sense, I want to celebrate with the worshippers at the Triumphal Entry. In another sense, I am astounded at how the crowds could miss […]
Sunday, April 17, 2022 The Resurrection of the Servant King
Read: Mark 16:1-8 Mark tells us that Mary Magdalene, another Mary, and Salome were present at the crucifixion of Jesus and that the two Marys had witnessed where Jesus was buried. Now that the Sabbath had passed and they were free to move about again, these ladies decided to go to the tomb in order […]
Saturday, April 16, 2022 The Promise of the Servant King
Read: Mark 8:31-38; 9:30-32; 10:32-34 Imagine how the disciples must have felt on the morning after Jesus was buried. Their minds would have been racing to make sense of the surprising events of the previous 24 hours. They had gone from sleeping in the garden, to scattering in the night, and ended up hiding indoors, […]
Friday, April 15, 2022 The Crucifixion of the Servant King
Read: Mark 15:16-47 Throughout Mark’s narrative of the Holy Week of Jesus, he has given us markers for each day to help us understand the time and place, but now, as we approach the end, Mark shows us what is happening by the hour, giving us even more of an opportunity to orient ourselves to […]
Thursday, April 14, 2022 The Cup of Suffering for the Servant King
Read: Mark 14:12-15:15 Interestingly, Mark doesn’t give us any of Jesus’ activities during the daylight hours on Wednesday or Thursday. We only see what is happening at night. Perhaps Jesus continued the same line of teaching in the temple, drawing crowds and infuriating the religious leaders in the process. Or, perhaps He’s resting in preparation […]
Wednesday, April 13, 2022 The Proper Worship of the Servant King
Read: Mark 14:1-11 There is an interesting lesson here in Mark’s account of the night before Jesus was betrayed. We get to see a contrast of true worship against utter betrayal. He is using a literary technique, highlighting the central story by bookending it with the unfolding narrative of the Pharisees seeking to arrest Jesus. […]
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 The Just Judgment of the Servant King
Read: Mark 12:1-12 Have you ever been listening to a sermon and thought, “I wish so-and-so could hear this?” I’ll be honest, I’ve even preached a sermon or two with particular individuals in mind. It’s easy to examine the faults of others, especially if they are irritating to us. Our own faults, however, are just […]