That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

Luke 23

That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies. v12

This verse struck me as odd - there is no indication in scripture that I know of why Herod and Pilate were enemies and there is also no indication in scripture that I know of why the two men became friends.  Yet this commentary points us to Acts 4:27 which takes us to Peter and John's questioning before the Sanhedrin, their release, and their subsequent prayer, which in turn takes us to Psalm 2:1-2 as we learn how the union of Herod and Pilate fulfills prophecy (confirmed in Acts 4:27).

Jesus HAD to go to the cross to both fulfill prophecy AND because there was no other way for us to commune with God as our sin permanently separates us from God and Christ's death on the cross permanently and for all of mankind provides us with reconciliation to God through Christ the Son.

Thank You God for sending Your One and Only Son (John 3:16).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who send His One and Only Son for me - thank You Jesus!  The greatest gift of all time.  I am undeserving of such a gift.  I worry, I am harsh with my words and actions, 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 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.

And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Luke 22

And he went outside and wept bitterly. v62

We all know the passage of how Peter denies Jesus three times before the roster crows, just as Jesus indicated to Peter the prior evening.  Peter is obviously feeling threatened and understandably denies Jesus out of fear for his life.  The question becomes - what would each of us do when perhaps confronted with a "gun to our head" by someone seeking to do harm to Christians?  While it may be difficult to tackle this question hypothetically, John Piper takes a crack at it here.

Piper refers to Matthew 10 where it says: "[b]ut whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven" (v33) and "[a]nyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (v37). 

Another question arises which is: can I lose my salvation once saved? Piper takes a crack at this also. 

I am not going to resolve these questions this morning, but I am nonetheless encouraged by the scripture referenced by Piper in his posts:

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 1 Peter 4:14

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Matthew 10:28

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who sustains and protects me every day from harm of all kinds - thank You Jesus!  I am undeserving of Your love and protection.  I daily miss the mark.  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.  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.

But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

Luke 22

But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. v51

I have previously posted on hardened hearts, including recently.  I find it striking here that Peter (see John 18) would cut off the ear of one of the high priest's servants and then in response to Jesus' amazing grace - He immediately heals the man even though the mob came to arrest Him - the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders' hardness of heart persisted with Jesus' arrest and ultimate crucifixion.  I know Jesus HAD to go to the cross, but I can't help but wonder about the extent to which the Jewish leaders' hearts were pricked even a tiny amount by Jesus, His teachings, and His ministry. Both Nicodemus and Gamaliel strike me as Jewish leaders who both AT LEAST acted in an open-minded manner to Jesus - check out this commentary that discusses the leadership of both these men as models for church leadership.  Also, in poking around, I found that the Catholic church recognizes Gamaliel as a saint, and Gamaliel is portrayed in a very famous painting "Saint Stephen Mourned by Saints Gamaliel and Nicodemus".

For us, we should ALL be mindful to our own hardness of heart, not just about Jesus but also about any hardness of heart that may exist in AREAS of life as even believers can have stubborn pockets of this hardness in our lives.

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus thank You for continuing to prick my heart and working to prevent me from hardness of heart.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your love and grace.  I daily miss the mark and I know I am stubborn and closed minded in at least several areas of my life.  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 spouse 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.

He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Luke 22

He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. v41-44

John Piper refers to Jesus' prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane as "The Greatest Prayer in the World".  This prayer serves as an excellent reminder that prayer works, as Jesus prayed for strength to be obedient in going to the cross. Verse 43 tells us that "[a]n angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him".  Luke's account here and the other Gospel accounts of this prayer also tell us that: (1) we should pray with passion and fervor, and that we should demonstrate our complete dependence on Him for the needs and concerns we have (Luke 22:44),  and that (2) we should be persistent in our prayer, demonstrating trust that God hears our cries and will respond (Jesus prayed three times see Matthew 26 and Mark 14).  

On a similar note on prayer: Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer" is also highly instructive in terms of how we should approach prayer.  I found this post particularly relevant as it discusses how Jesus' prayer in John 17 gives us a blueprint for prayer during the teen years - it ends with:

"When parents pray over an open Bible, the words of Scripture wrap themselves around the desires of our hearts and give us the words we don’t have. Jesus ends his prayer for his disciples by offering himself, totally set apart for the Father’s will. Perhaps this is what our teens need most: parents with a single-minded determination to follow him. We will not do so perfectly, but our own stumbling progress toward discipleship puts us on the same road as our teens — and what a joy it is to be traveling toward Christ together."

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus You are an awesome God and I need You desperately - I cannot live without You - You sustain me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your love and grace.  I worry and I lash out at others - 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 spouse 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.

But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.

Luke 22

But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. v26

As Jesus gathers with His disciples for The Last Supper, we see a number of things, including Communion, Jesus' recognition of Judas as His betrayer among them (see also Matthew 26), the disciples quarreling over whom might be the greatest disciple among them, and Jesus' calling out of Peter's denial (three times) of Jesus that will come to pass by the next morning.

Both the disciples quarreling and Peter's defense of himself to Jesus shine a spotlight on our pride issues.  We all want recognition and significance (see also post here) yet we must remember that we exist to glorify God - hence why Jesus emphasizes our need to remain humble so that Jesus is glorified through us.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has done so much in and for me, and I have seen what You have done through me as well - and I am deeply grateful for all of this. I am undeserving for what You have done and continue to do for me - I worry way too much and lash out at others.  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 Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.

Luke 22

Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. v3

John Piper refers to the crucifixion as "history's most spectacular sin" and this commentary shows how Judas was damned to hell for his role in rejecting/murdering Jesus due to his love of money over God.  Yet Piper reminds us that "Satan does not take innocent people captive. There are no innocent people. Satan has power where sinful passions hold sway."

Indeed none of us are innocent and we all sin. We must be aware of the battle against sin we all face.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

That is why we all need a Savior and Jesus is that Savior. 

God draws close to those who call on Him.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who suffered and died for me - thank You Jesus - the greatest gift of all time!  I am undeserving of such a gift.  I daily miss the mark.  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.

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.

Luke 21

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. v34-36

As Jesus teaches about the destruction of the Temple and signs of the end times, He paints a chilling picture: 

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. v10-11

But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. v12

You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. v16-17

 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. v23-24

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. v25-26 

Jesus tells us these things so that we can avoid being lulled into a false sense of comfort (see yesterday's post) and so we can be ready.

He also offers believers hope and encouragement for us to withstand the challenges of the end times:

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. v14-15

But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life. v18-19 

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. v28

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. v33

See also Matthew 24 and Mark 13.

My Prayers: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who has helped me through many difficulties and I know You are with me...always - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love.  I am harsh with my words and actions.  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.