As I read Matthew 27, I was reminded of a song by Travis Greene, called "You Gave it All." If you have Spotify, or YouTube, or iTunes, you should definitely give the song a listen this week! The bridge of the song goes like this: "You left heaven just to get me there with you, You left heaven just to get me, You gave it all for me, Now I'm free to live for you."
This is what Matthew 27 is all about. In the beginning of the chapter, Judas recognizes that he has betrayed an innocent man. He returns all of the silver that he had attained, realizing that riches and popularity with the crowd were worth absolutely nothing in the end. The next scene is an intense one. Pilate looks Jesus in the face and asks him one simple question. "Are you the King of the Jews?" His answer is simple, but profound, a statement that reveals that He is not only the King of the Jews, but the God of Israel, the Lord of Lords. He reveals himself in the same way that God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush. Jesus answers, "I AM." He is the Great I AM of our lives and can be whatever we need Him to be: Provider, Healer, Father, Friend, the list goes on. However, this "I AM" statement is one of the most powerful of all as his response indicates that He is to be the Saviour of our lives. As Pilate questions Jesus once again and false accusations are thrown in his face, Jesus remains silent. I don't know about you, but when someone accuses me of doing something that I did not, I become quite frustrated and do everything in my power to reveal that I did not do what that person is accusing me of. Jesus, on the other hand, responded in silence. Why? Simple. He left heaven to get you and I there. He took the punishment and the false accusations, so that one day, when we are accused of the things that we did do, Jesus can wrap us in His arms with the covering of His blood and silence the crowd. We should never take the cross for granted. Read Matthew 27. Stripped of His clothes, brutally beaten, His body unrecognizable, His face covered in blood, carried the heavy cross to his deathbed. Before He even arrived at Golgotha, He should have been dead. Hanging on a cross, His body appeared to be inhumane. His nakedness was an act of humiliation. He appeared to be no more than dirt. As Jesus drew his last breath, the Temple curtain was ripped in two. In the entirety of the Bible, this is one of my favorite scenes for it symbolizes that you and I can now freely enter into the Holy Place with the Great I AM. In the temple, only the high priest was allowed to enter beyond the veil, but as Jesus took his last breath and did what He had left heaven to do, the new covenant took place between God and man. Wow. What a chapter. This week, take the time to meditate on this chapter, to read it aloud and thank God that He gave it all for you and I.
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This week, we are reading through Genesis 22. I don't know about you, but as I read this familiar story, I began to realize something: Abraham had a crazy lot of faith.
Isaac was Abraham's pride and joy, his beloved son. There is no greater love than between a parent and a child. And, God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable. God asked for a sacrifice. Not a $5 in the offering sacrifice, but a sacrifice that tested Abraham like never before. God asked for his son. God wondered, "Abraham, do you trust me? Do you really trust me with all that you are?" That kind of trust requires a relationship, a really strong relationship that is built upon a solid foundation of faith. Have you ever done the trust fall with your friends? You stand there, either terrified or completely at ease, as you fall back into your friend's arms. With a knife in hand, he is about to kill his only sun, the craziest of all trust falls. Right before he does, God speaks to Abraham. Not only does he provide a ram for the offering, but He goes on to tell Abraham that he will be blessed due to His faith. God wants us to be at ease as we fall back and trust Him with all that we are. We must learn not to lean on our own understanding. We must acknowledge that the omniscient God of the universe knows best. There are times in our lives that things don't make sense. Life is hard, that's without a doubt. However, God is calling and asking us, "Do you have faith like Abraham?" Abraham's faith is a crazy kind of faith. Yet, we, too, thousands of years later can have that kind of faith. Pray for faith and seek faith through the Word of God. After reading Genesis 22, my faith has definitely been encouraged. I hope yours is as well. "Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:13-14 |
AuthorWeekly blog posts are written by our very own Jen Malech. Check out the blog for special features from our Bridge staff and friends! Archives
November 2016
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