Today Daily Devotional

“Take it; this is my body.” . . . and . . . “This is my blood of the covenant . . . poured out for many.”
— Mark 14:22-24

The Jews of Jesus’ day often told stories from their history. And every year at this time they told the ancient story that is referred to in today’s text: the story of the Passover.The original events of that story are found in Exodus 12, where we read of the slaughter of unblemished lambs and the deliverance of God’s people from slavery in Egypt. A key detail is that God’s people had to spread the blood of lambs on the doorframes of their houses so that the plague of death would pass over their homes while it went through the land of Egypt, taking the life of every firstborn male. After this plague went through the land, the Pharaoh of Egypt set the Israelites free.Nearly 1,500 years later, Jesus and his disciples celebrated that ancient rescue. They ate lamb’s meat and unleavened bread, shared a cup of wine, and recalled the Passover story. But this time Jesus pointed to the bread and the wine in the memorial meal and said, “This is my body,” and, “This is my blood.”The very next day Jesus would become the ultimate Passover Lamb, sacrificing his own perfect life to pay for our sin. He would die brutally by crucifixion, rescuing all who would believe in him as the Son of God, the Savior. And ever since that day, people have begun new journeys with God into eternal life.Today we remember that meal. Tomorrow we remember that death.

Lord Jesus, fill us with faith in you, that we may grow in gratitude and live for you, sharing your story with all who need to hear it. Amen.

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
— John 3:3

In today’s text Jesus’ words baffled and amazed Nicodemus the Pharisee:• To experience fully what God is doing, you must be born again.• This rebirth, like your first birth, is a miracle accomplished by the Holy Spirit.• The Spirit leads you to believe in the power of Jesus, God’s Son, to save the world from sin and to give you new life forever with God.Huh!?! Nicodemus was confused.This was not the first time Jesus’ words jolted a religious leader. Jesus began doing that at the age of 12 (see Luke 2:41-47).Now, what kinds of surprises do these words of Jesus bring to us today?For people who sense that being a Christian is only about themselves and Jesus, the global scope of Jesus’ words can be breathtaking. For people who assume that Christian faith can be a nice addition to their self-directed life, the idea of rebirth into a totally new life is a jarring challenge. What’s more, no conversation with Jesus is just a conversation.Open yourself to the wonder of Jesus’ words to Nicodemus. It’s good practice for experiencing the wonder and power of the events in Jesus’ life that we will remember this week on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday— when the rebirth of creation itself was launched.

Dear God, make us open to your surprises that we find in the Bible and that we will encounter this week. In Christ we pray. Amen.

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
— Matthew 21:22

God shows his faithfulness by responding to the prayers of his people.In our reading today, a fig tree that does not bear fruit receives judgment from Jesus. The religious leaders ask Jesus about his authority, and he makes them uncomfortable by reminding them of the work of John the Baptist, a prophet who called everyone to repent (Matthew 3). A prophet is someone called by God to guide, comfort, and challenge people to follow the ways of God. John pointed people to Jesus by preparing them to receive him as the promised Savior, and Jesus pointed people to himself as the way to find full, eternal life with God.In the remainder of this week in which Jesus would give up his life for us, we see Jesus at work in the final hours of his ministry, teaching his disciples and urging everyone, including the religious leaders, to look inside their hearts, to repent, and to ask the faithful God for forgiveness. It’s the only way to find the life that God wants everyone to enjoy.Jesus’ interaction with the fig tree is a kind of object lesson showing that he wants the religious leaders to bear fruit as they are called to do—that is, pointing God’s people to repentance and faith rather than being concerned about their own authority and status.Jesus invites everyone to have faith. The gift of faith is for all who believe.Believe, receive, and live! 

Lord Jesus, fill us with faith in you. May we be your witnesses and bear fruit because we are rooted in you. In your name we pray. Amen.

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there.
— Matthew 21:12

Jesus entered Jerusalem and was cheered as a king—but not for long.In the next scene, Jesus went to the temple courts in Jerusalem. And as he looked around, he became upset. As Isaiah the prophet had noted many years earlier, the temple of the Lord was to be “a house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). God wanted it to be a place where people could connect with him. The temple area was not meant to become a marketplace for selling animals and exchanging currency. So Jesus overturned the tables and benches there and drove the merchants out.Continuing in his ministry of drawing people to the Lord, Jesus healed people who came to him at the temple. Some were blind, and others could not walk, and he healed them.The temple authorities, however, did not like any of this.They complained about the disruption and the children shouting “Hosanna” in the temple courts, and they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”“Yes,” he said, and he asked if they knew the words of the psalm that said, “From the lips of children and infants, you, Lord, have called forth your praise” (see Psalm 8:2).But the religious leaders did not have the eyes of faith to see Jesus for who he was. Before long, they were plotting to kill him, and in a few days they stirred up the people and had them shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Faithful God, help us to see Jesus for who he truly is—the fulfillment of all your promises. Thank you for your grace. Amen.

This took place to fulfill what was spoken . . . “‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a . . . colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
— Matthew 21:4-5

God reveals his faithfulness over time. We might not see it right away, for the Lord’s ways are not our ways, and God works according to his own time table. Years before Jesus came riding into Jerusalem as King, God gave Zechariah the prophet an impression of that scene, and Zechariah proclaimed it and wrote it down (see Zechariah 9:9-11).In this world, kings and rulers come in splendor and power, not on a donkey and with no army. From the beginning of history, though, God worked to prepare his people to understand that he wanted a relationship with them. And although they strayed and wandered in sin—again and again— God kept pursuing his people.Our text today focuses on what has become known as Palm Sunday, the beginning of the week in which Jesus made himself known as the world’s Savior and King. But he didn’t look like the king the people expected to see, and he was soon rejected, crucified, dead, and buried. But then he rose again the next Sunday morning, conquering death for our sake! Once again, the faithful one, God, did more than anyone could think or imagine.Even the people closest to Jesus did not see what was unfolding. The key to this puzzle was that Jesus would not be deterred from his mission to save us. He took on the curse of death for all in order to bring life to all who believe.

God, thank you for preparing through the years for Jesus to come. Remind us this week of the wonder of your unchanging faithfulness. Amen.