And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Mark 15:1-20

And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Mark 15:14-15

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is, per the commentary, the second division of the text from Mark 15:1-20 - vv6-14.  

• Using the Sword Bible Study Method focusing just on the text for today - vv1-5: (1) God in the text:  Jesus is the object of others' actions, and here Pilate is struggling with what to do with Jesus as he believes Jesus is innocent of any crime (v14) but at the same time Pilate must placate (v15) Jewish leadership (some of which must use there role to stir up civil unrest or other complications for Pilate).  Jewish leaders urge crucifixion of Jesus - vv13-14; Jesus is then mocked and scourged (v15) (2) People in the text: Jewish leaders seek Pilate to follow custom and release a prisoner during Passover and they urge Barrabas to be released (they roundly reject Pilate's suggestion that it be Jesus - v9) and it is ironic that Pilate agrees because Barrabas participated (committed murder) in insurrection against Rome (v7); Pilate correctly sees the Jewish leadership as envious of Jesus due to Jesus' following among the people as they felt threatened and did not see Jesus as the promised Messiah from OT prophecy; many believe the Messiah would be an earthly king that would overthrow Rome and restore Jerusalem to self governance and former glory (such as under David's rule) (3) Sins to avoid, promises to claim, examples to follow, and commands to obey: Avoid envy - see Exodus 20:17; see Jesus as the Promised Messiah and His kingdom as an eternal one not bound by earthly definitions. Do not murder.  Follow Jesus' example to understand and follow the Father's will.  Obey governing authorities (Romans 13).   

Excerpts from the commentary's second (of three) division: 

• The title of the first division is "Our Great King’s Substitution: The Injustice and Insult."   
• RE: Pilate's tough situation - we are referred to Matthew 27:19 where [Pilate's] wife had warned him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for today I’ve suffered terribly in a dream because of Him!”. 
• "Pilate has had enough. He publicly washes his hands, while the crowd accepts responsibility for executing the King (Matthew 27:24-25). Jesus was innocent but declared to be guilty."  It's important to note that this text describes how the crowd all but admits that they are committing murder by asking for Jesus' crucifixion.  

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Father God, You are an amazing God that willingly sent His Son to die on the cross, and Jesus willingly submitted to Your Will so that I could have life now to the full and for eternity in Heaven.  Thank You!  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

Genesis 42-44

Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. Genesis 44:33

I maintain a pause on my study of Ecclesiastes to focus on Joseph, in particular Genesis 42-44, and I lean on the Christ-Centered Exposition Series volume for this book. Based on the commentary's breakdown of the divisions and subdivisions of this text (see post from Monday, 24JUN), I move on to the third division, which explores Genesis 44.  Here, we once again see a remarkable story that unfolds where Joseph tests his brothers by, after the celebration wraps (see post yesterday), instructing his steward to hide his silver cup (vv1-2), along with their money for grain returned to them again, among their sacks - with the silver cup to be packed in Benjamin's sack.  Joseph's brothers depart to return home to Canaan but Joseph's steward catches up with them and confronts them for the "evil" they have done by stealing the money and the silver cup (v3-12).  Joseph's brothers are overwrought, they all return to the city, fully expecting harsh treatment by Joseph. Judah immediately confesses guilt (despite being innocent of stealing the money and cup), and Joseph orders that Benjamin be detained while the remaining brothers can return home (vv16-17). In vv18-34, we see Judah's extended and passionate pleading to Joseph, as Judah describes the anguish Jacob will experience if Benjamin does not return home.  The pleading concludes with Judah making an offer to Joseph that Judah take the punishment for Benjamin (although both are innocent of the alleged crime to steal the money and the silver cup). 

The below excerpts (not limited to these) from the commentary provide the following insights:

• In discussing Joseph's offer to his brothers (v17) that they can go home in peace (but leave Benjamin with him), the commentary shares: "In Matthew 4 Jesus goes into the wilderness after his baptism and is tempted by Satan three times. The third temptation has the same offer as that made to Joseph’s brothers (Matthew 4:8): Jesus could have peace (all the kingdoms of the world) through slavery (bowing down to worship Satan). However, both Judah and Jesus reject the offer." 
• "Judah speaks up on behalf of his family throughout this scene. Woven into his response are threads of a pattern of confession and repentance consistent with what God calls Christians to do when we are wrestling with sin in our lives. First, Judah owns their most glaring sin by saying that Benjamin’s only full-blooded brother “is dead” (v. 20). Though he doesn’t elaborate on this, he acknowledges the one he has sinned against, having no idea that he is speaking to that very person. Moreover, his words in verse 16 admit they have no justification for their sin: “What can we say to my lord? . . . How can we justify ourselves?” (v. 16). Though innocent in the matter of the cup, they are guilty of other crimes and have no credible defense before Joseph. Owning our sin is the first step in repentance. “How can we justify ourselves?” is a question every sinner must confront in his or her own heart. Repentant Christians recognize that there is no place for defending or justifying themselves amid sin. Second, Judah acknowledges God’s role in revealing secret sin. He says, “God has exposed your servants’ iniquity” (v16; cf. Number 32:23). Similarly, Christians must recognize the Holy Spirit’s role in exposing and convicting us of sin as we seek forgiveness (John 16:8). The kindness of the Lord brings us to repentance by exposing our iniquity (Romans 2:4). Third, Judah surrenders to the authority of the master when he declares he and his brothers are now Joseph’s “slaves” (Gen 44:16). Christians must recognize that everyone who seeks repentance must come to the same point of surrender."
• "Judah makes a final appeal, in what is one of the longest speeches in Genesis (vv. 18-34). After pleading with Joseph not to be angry (v. 18), Judah tells Joseph all that has transpired since they left Egypt the first time. Judah recounts that “the boy’s brother is dead” to him, not realizing that Joseph is in fact alive and listening to him (v. 20)."
• "Judah sees his personal responsibility for sin in the same way we all should. Each of us bears the guilt for our sin. Our sin is not an abstract issue but a personal affront to our heavenly Father. Judah’s solution to the mess is to ask Joseph if he can take Benjamin’s place (v. 33). He offers himself as a substitute to suffer for Benjamin’s sin. Joseph responds to Judah’s pleading with the determination to punish only the guilty rather than the entire group."
• "This is the first instance in the Bible of a human serving as a substitute. Readers must not miss the typological significance of this event. Judah offering himself as a substitute for Benjamin points ahead to the coming Messiah from the line of Judah. Only Jesus doesn’t just offer up his freedom but actually offers his own life. Nevertheless, both men trade freedom for the sake of restoring brothers for the sake of pleasing a father. Jesus becomes our substitute both to set us free from slavery to sin and to reconcile us to our heavenly Father (cf. John 15:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - taking my place on the cross as well as the place of all of humanity for we all sin and fall short of the glory of God and the wages of sin are death.  Thank You for my salvation.  Yet I am not deserving of such blessing, the greatest gift of all time. My sin is great and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source.

Hebrews 2

 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. Hebrews 2:10-11

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is an overview of the commentary for Hebrews 2:10-18, and a look at specifically at Hebrews 2:10-13, the first of three divisions from Hebrews 2:10-18 as outlined by the commentary. The overview indicates how Hebrews 2:10-18 "further explains what it means (from v9 - see post from a couple of days ago) for Christ to “taste death for everyone...” [and it addresses key questions such as]: Exactly how does Christ accomplish this feat? What are the results? How do God’s people benefit?"  In looking specifically at Hebrews 2:10-13, the commentary then stresses the following key points:

• Christ came into the world to adopt us as sons and daughters to glory.  "These words provide a gospel summary that focuses on the relational and familial aspects of the gospel. The gospel transforms believers into children of God and siblings of the Lord Jesus. Our purpose is to bring the glory of God into greater visibility—to be the public display of the glory of God both now and for all eternity. Thus, we become “sons and daughters to glory” in order to magnify the glory of God for all to see." We exist to glorify God!
  
•  The fittingness of God the Father's plan to send His Son to "redeem humanity through a perfect and suffering Savior. The justice of God demanded a substitutionary atonement for the forgiveness of sins....Because of Christ’s perfect obedience to the Father, Jesus has become the “source” of salvation.
• The Old Testament citations in this text (Psalm 22:22 and Isaiah 8:17-18) referring to "brothers and sisters" are "rooted in the reality because believers are Christ’s “brothers and sisters,” we are also “children” of God." The commentary also argues that believers should see how "[t]he Law and the Prophets bear witness to Christ. He is their telos....[and] that the message of the Old Testament is fundamentally messianic. The Old Testament must be read in light of its fulfillment in Christ."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God, who died for me as a perfect, substitutionary atonement for my sins - thank You Jesus for bearing my punishment that I deserved.  I am not deserving of the grace You poured out for me and continue to pour out for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Leviticus 3

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - looking at chapter three - Peace with God - covering 3:1-17, looking specifically at the theme We Bring Our Lives to God.  My commentary ends this morning by urging us to look at Romans 12:1 and how Paul seeks to have believers offer our lives "as a living sacrifice."  Leviticus 3 specifically discusses the peace offering and how animals served as a substitute for the sinner as the "wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). The commentary also emphasizes how it was expected that confession of sin accompanied sacrifice and how the sacrificial system (still in place now albeit via Jesus Christ vs Old Testament ceremonial sacrifice) included:

1. acknowledgement of (and confession) sin
2. affirmation that God's just penalty for sin is death
3. acknowledgement of the principal of sustitutionary sacrifice - the animal took the worshiper's place
4. seeking of atonement and peace with God

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who provides a path for atonement and peace with You - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You forgive me and provide a path for forgiveness and reconciliation with You.  My sin, of arrogance, worry, impatience, harshness, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

John 11

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life. John 11:49:-53

Day 310 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on how Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and the opposition this act raises from the Jewish leaders. My commentary notes: "[t]his, of course, is such a dramatic and conclusive demonstration of Jesus’ power that his opponents call a hasty conference and immediately plot to kill him."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

What is remarkable about the scripture this morning is how God spoke through Caiaphas to deliver substitution of Jesus (His death on the cross as atonement for all sins for all humanity) - which John Piper refers to as "the heart of the Christian faith". God works and is sovereign over all, including death and those who oppose Him. As we experience Advent and then Christmas, we must also reflect on what God has done for us as the greatest gift of all time.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and You sent Your Son to die for me...personally....knowing everything about me, including my sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this gift.  My sin is great and it continues, including worry, gossip, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.