Good morning! Continuing with our topic from Psalm 17, God as our ultimate protector and source of peace. How can we know that what we are asking for is right? How do I know that He will listen? David answers these questions all through Psalm 17. Yesterday, I gave you 5 things David says to do to find refuge in God. Each from the first five verses. The next 4 are from varying verses from the chapter.
6. Experience God’s Unfailing Love
David is looking and seeking God’s love and protection: “Show the wonders of Your loving devotion, You who save by Your right hand”-Psalm 17:7. This is a reminder of how much God loves us. A love that is steadfast and unwavering. Experiencing His love transforms our lives and empowers us to love others. Not only that but you feel safe when you are loved. When the God of the universe loves you, you know you can rest.
7. Find Security in God’s Protection
David finds security in God’s protection, describing it as being hidden “in the shadow of Your wings” (Psalm 17:8). This picture reassures us of God’s protection and care, offering us a safe and secure haven when life’s storms hit us. We can rest in the knowledge that God is our shield and defender. You have found refuge.
8. Recognize the Futility of Worldly Pursuits
The psalm compares and contrasts the nature of worldly pursuits with the eternal satisfaction found in God: “They are satisfied with children and leave their abundance to their infants” (Psalm 17:14). This lesson encourages us to focus on eternal treasures rather than temporary gains, finding true fulfillment in our relationship with God. Paul does the same thing that David is doing here in Ephesians 1:3 when he says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. This verse also contrasts temporary earthly prosperity to spiritual blessings.
9. Anticipating the Joy of God’s Presence and our Resurrection
David concludes with a hopeful anticipation of being resurrected at Christ’s return: “When I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15). When he says “when I awake” he is expecting to die and be raised to new life. That is his hope. This final lesson inspires us to look forward to the ultimate joy of being with God, and his son Jesus where we will experience complete satisfaction and joy in His presence for eternity.
Reflection Questions
Is God your refuge? How much peace do you have?
Are you doing these things?
What are some ways you can apply these principles today?
Prayer
Father God my prayer this morning is that we know how to take refuge in you. That we apply these principles to our lives and live with the joy, acceptance and peace that you give us each day. May we be active in seeking out your will. In Jesus’ name.
There is so much uncertainty in life. So many things to handle. It can make your heart race. That’s why we need to find our refuge in God. In Psalm 17, David begins by asking God to hear his cries. He has also confirmed that what he is asking for is right. He says, “Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry” (Psalm 17:1). This teaches us to move towards God’s presence and guidance in confidence. He is our ultimate protector and source of peace. How can we know that what we are asking for is right, and that He will listen? I think David answers these questions all through Psalm 17. Let’s take some time in the next couple days to see what David says to do to find refuge in God.
1.Have Faith that God Knows What He is Doing
David recognizes God’s justice, trusting that God will judge rightly. “Let my vindication come from Your presence; may Your eyes see what is right”-Psalm 17:2. This verse encourages us to trust in God’s righteous judgment instead of seeking revenge or justice on our own. God sees all and will act justly in His time.
2. Show Your Heart to God
Sometimes we hide from God. Nothing is secret from Him. David speaks of his commitment to living a life of integrity, saying, “You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night”-Psalm 17:3. This is a call for us to pursue a blameless life, striving to align our actions with God’s will. When we do this, we are an open book to what God wants to do in our life.
3. Watch and Listen to What You Say
David highlights the importance of guarding our speech: “I have resolved that my mouth will not sin”-Psalm 17:3. This lesson is a reminder to be mindful of our words, ensuring they are edifying and truthful in all areas of our lives. Sometimes we are so hard on others. Sometimes we are mean to ourselves. Our speech should reflect the love and truth of Christ, building others and ourselves up rather than tearing down.
4. Guard Your Paths
Have you expressed your commitment to following God’s ways: “My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped”-Psalm 17:5. This encourages us to walk confidently in God’s paths. Always relying on His Word and Spirit as our guide. By doing so, we can navigate life’s challenges with confidence and assurance.
5. Confidently Ask
David’s relationship with God is marked by confidence in prayer: “I call on You, O God, for You will answer me”-Psalm 17:6. This verse shows us how to approach God with boldness, knowing that He hears and answers our prayers. Our confidence in prayer is rooted in our faith in His promises and His unfailing love. Do you have confidence in God? Do you come to Him in right standing? In humble obedience?
Tomorrow we will continue in Psalms 17
Reflection Questions
Is God your refuge? If so, what do you already do to find refuge in God? If not, do you want Him to be your refuge?
Which of these steps speaks loudest to you as something you need to do more and more?
Do you have confidence in God? Do you come to Him in right standing? In humble obedience?
Prayer
This morning let’s pray that you can RELAX, knowing that God wants you to succeed. That He loves you. Father, please give us a quiet confidence to be able to rest in the knowledge that you are a good God. My prayer is that our hearts are open to you. That you see us and we see you. Amen
Good morning! Yesterday we meditated on Psalm 16:4. Where David underlines his radical preference for God by putting it negatively. He values God so highly, he will not dare to run after other gods. “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.” In other words: it is sheer stupidity to turn away from the all-satisfying God only to embrace gods that leave you sorrowful in the end. No, I will never do that. I won’t even put their names on my lips.
Then in Psalm 16:5, he returns to the declaration of verse 2: “I have no good apart from you.” Here he puts it positively: “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup.” In other words, if there are a hundred portions of food and drink spread out on the table, and one of them is the LORD himself — he is my choice. Nothing satisfies; nothing nourishes and sustains — the way he does. He is my greatest good. My treasure of all treasures. My highest pleasure. My chosen portion of sirloin. My cup of finest wine.
Then later in verse Psalm 16:5, he returns to what he has said in verse 2. He said, “I say to the LORD (Yahweh), ‘You are my Lord (Adonai).’” He declared that God was his master and higherup or sovereign. Here in verse 5 he does the same: “You hold my lot.” In other words, when the dice are rolled, and the straws are drawn, and the wheel is turned — whatever happens to us comes from the hand of God. God holds my lot. God decides it. God rules over it. God is my sovereign, and I am glad to have it so. I don’t just affirm it nonchalantly; I live in it with excitement.
In Psalm 16:6, he shouts out what this means for him. Because God holds his lot, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” The “lines” here are probably borderlines, the borders or boundaries God has appointed for him. They may be figurative, or literal, or maybe both. I tend to say the borderlines may be figurative because the phrase “pleasant places” is a single Hebrew word that means “pleasures.” It’s the very same word as the one in Psalm 16:11 translated “pleasures”: “At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The translation here in Psalm 16:6 should maybe be: “The lines have fallen for me in pleasures, I have a beautiful inheritance.” The “pleasant places” (of verse 6) may be not so much good acreage in Palestine, but the place at God’s right hand, as verse 11 says. “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places” would then be: “Your sovereign goodness has fenced me in to God himself. The borders of my life are boundaries around where God is.” And when he adds, “I have a beautiful inheritance,” the ultimate meaning would be: God. God is my inheritance, and He is beautiful. That’s where Psalm 16:11 leads us. Where are you being led today?
Reflection Questions
Is God your inheritance? If so, why is that a beautiful inheritance? If not, why not?
What does it mean to you to say, “The LORD is my chosen portion and cup”?
How would you describe your relationship with God, how valuable He is to you, and what benefits you receive because of your relationship with Him?
Prayer
Dear Lord God, help me to see how incredibly worthy You are to receive my praise, worship and adoration. Help me to see, but never experience, where I would be without You. Help me to not take You and my relationship with You for granted. May my life show that You are my portion and my cup – I chose You and You sustain me and give me all I need for life. I rely on You. Thank You for being my God.
This morning, I would encourage you to read Psalm 16:1-4. When you are done reading those verses focus on this question. Do you think of the consequences of your choices? Psalm 16:4: “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.” What happens if we choose another god besides the true God? Another ultimate good, another Lord, another delight, another treasure? What happens is multiplied sorrows. “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply.” David has already found his good; he’s already found his delight; he’s already found his treasure. He’s not on a search anymore. Are you? David’s quest is over. Is yours? It’s over. I have found him. I have found my Good. I have found my Lord. I have found my delight. I have found my treasure. It’s over. I’m not running anymore after anything else. There’s nothing but trouble there. “I have no good apart from you.” The Lord is my good. I’m not shopping around. My quest is over.
What happens when you make your choice to follow God but the temptation to return to old gods is there. “Here’s another god; here’s another good; here’s another delight; here’s another treasure.” David’s response is, “I won’t even drink it. I won’t even take their name on my lips.” “Their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out. I will not even take their names on my lips.” These alternative gods, these alternative delights, these alternative toys. I’m not going to touch them. I’m not even going to get close or talk about them. I have found the all-satisfying treasure. Why would I choose multiplied sorrows?
I think verse 4 is what David was asking to be preserved from in verse 1. When he said, “Preserve me, O God,” what’s he asking to be preserved from? And the answer is verse 4. “Preserve me, O God.” I take refuge in you. I’m running to you as my good. I’m running to you as my treasure. I’m running to you as my delight. I am running to you. Preserve me from being drawn away to these other gods. Preserve me from failing to be satisfied in you this morning.
“This is the battle of the believer’s life: to have God as our good, to have God as our delight.”
I wonder if you pray like that. I wonder if you fight like that. That is just about all I do. This is the battle of real and satisfying life: to have God as our good, to have God as our delight, to have God as our treasure. And the world is saying, “No, I’m better!” So what else is there to do but fight? Verse 4 is what he’s pleading. “Preserve me, O God.” Don’t let me be drawn away to these other gods.
Psalm 90:14 is on my lips just about every morning. “Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love!” Is that your steady prayer? “Your steadfast love is better than life” (Psalm 63:3). Oh, don’t let me be more satisfied with anything else than with you. That’s the battle. Verse 1 calls out to persevere; verse 4 states the danger. You make the call on which road you will live. Be blessed today.
Reflection Questions
What other goods, lords, treasures, delights have you found yourself running after? How is God better than each of these?
What multiplied sorrows result in following after any of these others?
What has God already preserved you from?
Today, what do you specifically ask God to preserve you from?
Prayer
Dear God Almighty, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Help me to say it, believe it and live it every day. Thank you for preserving me from _______. Save me, Lord, from the sorrows and dangers of following after anything else the world dangles in front of my eyes and heart. Help me see clearly You, Your wisdom and truth and what You desire for my life. Make me strong in You against the temptation of _____________.
Now ask yourself, do you believe that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead (verse 6), and that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him (verse 18)? “Given” implies receiving authority — not possessing it inherently. This authority is the result of the Father’s exaltation of the Son after his obedience and resurrection (Philippians 2:9–11). God is the source of all authority; Jesus exercises that authority on God’s behalf.
Let’s continue. He will be with his disciples to the end of the age (verse 20)?
If this is true, then nothing is more important in our lives, nothing is more crucial or more urgent or more necessary than believing it and becoming a follower of Jesus. I know it’s a big if, if this is true, if this is real (you may believe it or not). If the premise is true, wouldn’t you agree with the conclusion? That nothing is more important for everyone in the world than to believe in him and be his follower.
Just think of it. Jesus says in verse 18, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” If this is true, then today Jesus Christ is the Lord of the universe. Now it’s important to remember, God’s authority is absolute, eternal, and derived from no one. Jesus’ authority is delegated from the Father to accomplish redemption and judgment (John 5:19–30, Matthew 28:18). But his authority is absolute!
He has authority over politics and government; he has authority over all armies and military, even over the wars that are taking place today.
He has authority over all industry and business (NASDAQ and Dow Jones); farms, and chat GPT, even the industry you work in.
He has authority over science and education — all research and discovery and universities and colleges;
He has authority over all entertainment and media — radio, TV, Internet, social media, theater, art;
He has authority over all sports and activities — over your favorite team and every playoff game;
He has authority over all natural phenomena — all weather and floods and volcanoes and earthquakes and tornadoes and hurricanes and any other storm of life;
He has authority over all planets and moons and stars and light and energy and motion and time;
and therefore he has authority over our lives — health and disease and success and failure and life and death.
I don’t know where you are this morning. You may or may not believe the testimony of Jesus and his disciples. But I hope you see at least that if — if — it is true that Jesus rose from the dead as the Lord of the universe with all authority in heaven and on earth, then believing it and following Jesus as our Lord is the most important, most urgent, most crucial thing in our lives.
Reflection Questions
What do you imagine Jesus was thinking and feeling as he was speaking to the disciples on the mountain in Matthew 28? What do you imagine the eleven disciples were thinking and feeling?
What have you heard about Jesus? What does this passage teach you about Jesus? And about God?
What do you believe about Jesus? Does your life show what you believe? Is there anything that needs to be adjusted to better believe and reflect those beliefs in your daily decisions?
Prayer
Dear God and Giver of all authority, we praise You. And if we truly knew and recognized all there is to know about You, we would praise You even more. We thank You for revealing Yourself in Your Word. Help me to seek You more and more. Thank You for Your amazing son Jesus who is indeed worthy of all the authority You have given to him. I want to follow him well. Show me, Lord, where I need to change my beliefs and behaviors and priorities to better follow Jesus and be Your child now and in that beautiful age to come.
This morning’s devotion will be taken from Psalms 15 verses 1-5. Psalm 15:4 says, speaking of a blameless man, that ‘in their eyes a vile person is despised.’ How can we both despise the vile, and yet also love our enemies?” David says in Psalm 15:1–2, 4, ‘O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right . . . in whose eyes a vile person is despised.’ But Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ These categories of vile people and enemies and persecutors are not entirely overlapping, but I think it’s safe to say that there’s at least some overlap between them. I imagine David had his enemies in mind in Psalm 15 when he was talking about vile people. How are we to “despise and love the sinfully vile?”
The short answer is that it is possible to love someone you despise. It is not just possible but necessary, because the psalm says that one of the principles of the person who dwells with God, who enjoys God’s fellowship, is that “in [his] eyes a vile person is despised.” That’s a mark of being welcomed into God favor. In fact, we don’t even need to jump from the psalm to Jesus in order to see what love requires toward a vile person.
Grab your Bible and read Psalm 15:1–5. I’ll just pause and share the key parts as we go along. “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?” That’s the question. Who gets to enjoy fellowship with God? “Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1). In other words, what are the marks of a person who can enjoy the presence and the fellowship of God? And here comes the answer: “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right” (Psalm 15:2). So he’s not free. This person who qualifies to be with God is not free to call just anything right. He does what is right — namely, what God calls right.
Keep going, “And speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor” (Psalm 15:2–3). Now that’s very important, because it comes just before the word about despising. Paul said in Romans 13:10, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” So, when the psalmist says, “does no evil to his neighbor,” he is saying, “I must love my neighbor. I may not wrong him.”
And then it continues, “nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalm 15:3–4). That means he keeps his promises even when it hurts him. “Who does not put out his money at interest” which means he doesn’t take advantage of anyone financially “and does not take a bribe against the innocent” (Psalm 15:5). So he won’t let himself be lured by money to treat anyone unjustly. And then, “He who does these things shall never be moved.” End of psalm. Set your Bible down for a second. What do we make of this? Here’s David (a psalm of David), the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). And he says that the person who can dwell with God and enjoy God’s fellowship 1. does what is right, 2. does not slander anyone, 3. does no evil to his neighbor, 4. doesn’t charge interest to gouge anyone, and 5. doesn’t let bribery pervert justice in his hands. This is not a careless moment for David, in which he’s on some kind of hate tirade against evildoers. This is a careful listing of traits of the person God delights to have near him. And right after saying, “does no evil to his neighbor,” one phrase later, he says that in this godly man’s eyes a vile person is despised and one who fears the Lord is honored (Psalm 15:3–4).
So, we take Paul’s definition of love from Romans 13:10 (“Love does no wrong to a neighbor”), and then David who is saying, “The man whom God welcomes loves his neighbor and despises him if he’s vile.” Notice the two halves of Psalm 15:4. The two halves express opposites. Here’s what he says in verse 4: “In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors (which is the opposite of despised) those who fear the Lord (which is the opposite of vile).” What David says in the godly person’s heart is not how they act, not how they treat people. That’s not the point of verse 4. That’s the point of verse 3: you do no wrong to a neighbor. But the point of verse 4 is what they feel about the character of a person. What they admire in their hearts or don’t admire, what they praise, glorify, honor. The godly person does not glorify the vile person. He glorifies the one who fears the Lord. The godly person does not admire, or venerate, or want to be like the vile person. He admires; he wants to be near and be like the person who fears the Lord. In other words, to despise in Psalm 15 does not mean you desire to destroy a person, or to see a person come to ruin. To despise means you regard the person’s character as ugly, dishonorable, shameful, disgraceful, unworthy of praise. There are people like that, and it would be ungodly not to despise them. David is saying, “If you have the kind of heart that enjoys being around vile people who don’t fear God, if you admire and esteem vile people, you’re not fit for the presence of God.” That’s what he’s saying. Sit with those words and act on them.
Reflection Questions
What would make a person a vile person? What makes a person one who fears God?
Why would a God of love want “the one who is blameless” to despise a vile person?
Have you ever experienced loving someone you despised? If not, do you at least see how it is possible? What might it look like in your own life? Why might God be asking you to do this?
Prayer
Dear Lord God, help me be righteous before You. Show me how you want me to honor those who fear You, and despise the vile. Give me Your eyes, mind and heart to see clearly, think correctly, and love completely.
Have you ever found it easier to see the right thing for someone else to do than for yourself? There is a reason for that. We often times can tell someone what to do but can’t seem to do it for ourselves.
For example:
25 A truthful witness saves lives, But he who utters lies is treacherous
In this proverb we see that lying only brings destruction. We ourselves hate being lied to. We hate seeing people live a lie. We know how much damage it can do. We know this but I bet if I asked if you have ever lied or lived a lie you would probably say yes. I bet if I asked you if you knew how to correct that in someone else’s life you would have an answer almost immediately. It is so easy to see the foolishness in someone else. It’s easy to know what to do to correct their wrong behavior. But I bet it is harder to correct in yourself. Why can we see the answer to foolishness in others easily but have such a difficult time correcting it in our own lives?
The answer is we have no emotional ties to their sin. We won’t have to deal with the consequences of trying to correct our behavior. I can tell you how to correct your behavior all day long because I don’t have to do it. I don’t have to deal with the mess. But if I have to correct a sin I know what that will take, and often times I don’t want to deal with the pain and hurt that comes with going back and fixing issues like lying bring about.
Read Proverbs 14 and see if you can see any foolishness in your life that you need to correct. Are their verses in this chapter that really resonate with you? Can you see the foolishness in those verses? Can you recognize the wisdom it takes to realize that some of these verses apply to you. Are you willing to recognize the wise thing to do and apply it to your life? Your foolish ways become harder and harder to stop the longer you wait.
The very first verse illustrates this perfectly:
The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
Are you tearing your life apart by not recognizing wisdom?
I’m praying for you.
Andy Cisneros
(originally posted here on August 15, 2017)
Reflection Questions
See Andy’s suggestions and questions in the last full paragraph.
In Jesus’ time, crucifixion was reserved for the worst of criminals. The torture a person endured on a cross would last for hours, and killing Jesus in this manner likely appealed to the religious leaders who hated Him so deeply. In an effort to hide their move against Jesus from His many supporters, the Jewish leaders arrested and tried Jesus in the middle of the night. When Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate—the only one with authority to order a crucifixion—it was still early in the morning (Matthew 27:1–2). When Pilate presented Jesus and Barabbas to the people, the chief priests whipped the crowd into a frenzy, encouraging them to call for Barabbas’s release (Mark 15:11). When Pilate asked what they wanted done to Jesus, the crowd, again influenced by the chief priests, shouted, “Crucify Him!” Pilate, the people-pleaser, gave them what they demanded. He had Jesus flogged and then turned Him over for crucifixion. After the scourging, the entire battalion of soldiers gathered around this faint and bleeding man, put a scarlet robe on him, pressed the weight of a scarlet robe onto his torn shoulders, set a reed in his right hand, knelt down before him, and mocked him, “Hail, King of the Jews.” They struck him with their hands. They spit on him. They wove a crown out of thorns—probably not the kind of thorns you see on rose bushes, but the longer kind that are more like needles. Then they not only put the crown on his head, but hit him over the head—to drive the thorns into his skull (Mark 15:17-19).
At the beginning of the week, there was a crowd in Jerusalem celebrating Jesus as the Messiah; by Friday, there was a crowd crying, “Crucify Him!” The incredible change of the people naturally causes some confusion. It’s good to remember that not everyone at the Triumphal Entry was celebrating Jesus. Most of the city was puzzled: “When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?’” (Matthew 21:10), and the Jewish leaders were resentful (verse 15). Some of the same crowd who shouted, “Hosanna!” may also have been part of the crowd shouting “Crucify Him!” but we can’t be sure. If some people did join both crowds, it may be because they had grown disillusioned with Jesus when they discovered he was not going to set up the kingdom immediately—or perhaps they disliked Jesus’ insistence that they repent. Also, it’s quite possible that the crowd gathered before Pilate at that early hour had been assembled secretly to do an unlawful thing by the Jewish leaders.
In the end, it wasn’t the crowd’s cries of “Crucify Him!” that put Jesus on the cross. Our sin did that. From the very beginning, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the Lord had promised to send a Savior who would crush the reign of sin and death (Genesis 3:15). Throughout the ages God worked His plan to send a Savior, and that plan culminated in Jesus Christ: God’s own Son who became the perfect offering so he could take upon himself the punishment for sin. Although wicked men were involved in Jesus’ death on the cross, His sacrifice was ultimately the will of God (Isaiah 53:10; John 10:18). The shedding of Jesus’ blood fulfilled God’s promise to mankind to provide a Savior and sealed the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). Jesus would then defeat the power of death and the grave by rising again three days later and ascending to His Father’s right hand in heaven.
Do you feel the heaviness of his death? Do you understand that he died for you so you may have a chance at a new life? My hope and prayer for you this morning is that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. That because of his death you live for him. Your sin killed Jesus. But his righteousness saves you. May that truth motivate you and give you peace of mind knowing that God loves you so much that he gave his son to die for you. What will you do with this information?
-Andy Cisneros
Reflection Questions
Do you feel the heaviness of his death? Do you understand that he died for you so you may have a chance at a new life?
Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?
What questions do you have for God? What praise and thanks to Him and His Son? Spend some time in prayer today.
We are nearing resurrection Sunday. Before we can talk about his resurrection, we must talk about his death. In our text in Mark 15 we are seeing Jesus facing his death out in the open for all to see. The Sanhedrin brought Jesus before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. He could not find any fault in Jesus, and he said so three times. Late in the trial, Pilate sought a way to free Jesus. It was a Passover festival custom that the governor release a prisoner to the people, so, in a ploy to satisfy the crowd of Jewish leaders who had gathered and to secure Jesus’ release, Pilate allowed them to choose between a convicted criminal named Barabbas and Jesus. Instead of choosing Jesus, as Pilate had hoped, the crowd chose Barabbas for release. Shocked that they would free a hardened criminal, Pilate asked, “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” (Mark 15:12). The crowd cried out, “Crucify him!” (verse 13).
Pilate was confused by the crowd’s reaction, for barely a week earlier the people of Jerusalem had welcomed Jesus into the city with the waving of palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna!” (Mark 11:1–11). What Pilate may not have known was the extent to which the religious and political leaders hated and opposed Jesus. Not only did Jesus point out their extreme hypocrisy on many occasions (Mark 7:1–14), but He also claimed to be the Son of God, which was blasphemy to the unbelieving teachers of the law (see Mark 14:60–64). The religious leaders wanted to destroy Jesus (Mark 3:6). Only His death would satisfy them. Over the course of Jesus’ ministry, his teachings had angered the Pharisees, the scribes, the Herodians, and the Sadducees. But not the crowd. Not the ones who saw Jesus’ love. Who saw him heal, support, encourage, teach. Who gave dignity to those who were oppressed. How could they hear the cries of crucify him and betray him like this? How could they hear Pilate offer Barabbas and choose him over a man who has done nothing wrong? Jesus was no longer the crowd pleaser, but the scorned suffering servant spoken about in the Old Testament. They had no idea who was standing before them. They chose Barabbas. We too face the same decision these Jews had to make between Barabbas and Jesus. When I read this story its hard for me to understand why Jesus is even in this predicament. He is the son of God. Save him. Sometimes, I have a hard time understanding God. How could he let his perfect son suffer and die?
Have you ever expected Him to act in a certain way because of what you understood about Him and His nature—but He did not do things the way you thought they should be done? I have. If I were Jesus, I would be angry. All he ever did was follow what God wanted him to do and it got him killed. Have you ever been angry and disappointed in God? I have been all but convinced that He did not live up to His promise, for I was sure that I knew what He was going to do, and God let me down. My heart was filled with rage that God would act that way, even though God has told us all, again and again, ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’ (Isaiah 55:8-9). We cannot figure out God. He will be true to Himself, He will never lie, He will never deceive us; but He is more than we can handle. He is bigger than we are. Jesus understood this. He understood the bigger picture. He understood the need for his death. While he did not want to die he gave up his will and took all of the suffering so that we might live. Sometimes I don’t understand God but then I remember God loved us so much that he gave His one and only son for a chance for us to accept his love and have a relationship with Him. Mark 12:10-11 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, this was the LORD’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.” All these words to say, I don’t want to be like the crowd who didn’t understand God’s plan. I don’t want to live another life other than the one I can have with Jesus. I know I’m like the crowd more than I care to admit. And like this crowd, when I (we) get angry with God and don’t want to follow his son and turn from Him, there is always another Barabbas waiting in the wings for me (us) to choose. Another crowd pleaser. One that is a murderer. One that I know is not right, but I choose anyway because I don’t want to follow Jesus. But I’m thankful that God is patient and loving and I have his son as a mediator who draws me gently back to him. Who calms my fears. Who alleviates my doubts. One who is the great shepherd and high priest.
-Andy Cisneros
Reflection Questions
When have you been upset with or disappointed in God’s plan or ways?
When have you been reminded His ways are higher – and better – than yours?
How does the path laid out for Jesus – and his willingness to walk it – remind us that God can be trusted even when we think it doesn’t make sense or isn’t “right”?
“Leave her alone, said Jesus. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” Mark 14:6
In Mark 14 we see the story of Jesus being anointed with perfume. Jesus takes this beautiful moment and shows us just how great this event truly was. Mary’s actions may signal more than she knows. But, although she may not fully comprehend the messianic significance of her anointing, she appreciates Christ’s worth more than anyone else at the table. But Jesus receives the woman’s gift as a selfless act of love and devotion—an appropriate way to honor the Messiah. Jesus reveals that He will not be with them much longer, which references His soon death and burial.
Jesus says five things about it that mark it as an extremely beautiful act. First, he says, “she has done a beautiful thing to me”. The beauty of it lay in its extravagance. This woman did not spare any of the costly perfume but broke the flask and poured the whole quantity out on him. Judas, with his practical and corrupt mind, counted it up as worth three hundred denarii. A denarius was the day’s wage for a laborer. Three hundred days’ wages would be a tremendous sum. In the eyes of Judas, this woman wasted an enormous amount of money when she poured out the perfume on Jesus. It was such a lavish over the top act, and there lies the beauty of it. When have you done something extravagant and beautiful for Jesus?
Second, He said that it was a timely thing she had done. It was something that could only be done now. Any time you want to do good to the poor you can, because they are always around. And it is right to help the poor. But there are opportunities that come in our life that must be seized at that moment. Mary had sensed this and seized the moment to offer this gift, for such a time would never occur again. It was out of the sensitivity of her heart that she realized that the timing was right, and Jesus recognized this. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase timing is everything. Mary is preparing Jesus for his death. The timing was now.
Third, she did what she could. She could not fix Him a meal; there was no time for that. She could not make a garment for Him; there was no time for that. There was nothing else she could do to show her love but this. She did what she could. I am sure Jesus has called our attention to that because it is so practical for us. Someone said, “I can’t do everything, but I can do something. And what I can do I ought to do. And what I ought to do, I’m available to do”. Are you doing what you can? Or are you doing what’s easy? Are you doing at least what you are capable of for God and his son?
The fourth element of this act was that it was insightful. Jesus says she has anointed my body beforehand for burying. Many times, Jesus said to these disciples that He was going to die. Not one of them believed or understood him–except maybe Mary of Bethany. She could have understood that he was heading for burial. And since she could not be sure she would ever have the opportunity later to find his body and anoint it for burial, she did it now, as a loving act of service. Of all these friends who were around Him at this time, only this one had the sensitivity of heart to understand what was happening.
Finally, what she did was deserving of being remembered. It was memorable. Jesus said, the story of this beautiful act will be told in memory of her wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world. Here we are today, two thousand years later, fulfilling this very word, telling again of the act of Mary of Bethany when she anointed our Lord’s head and feet.
I hope we can be as understanding and extravagant as Mary was. What can you do today to show your love and appreciation of Jesus? Something extravagant. Something with meaning.
-Andy Cisneros
Reflection Questions
What is Jesus Christ’s worth to you? When have you done something extravagant and beautiful for Jesus? How can you – and will you – honor him?
Are you doing what you can? Or are you doing what’s easy? Are you doing at least what you are capable of for God and his son?
Seek Grow Love 