March 31 - Holy Week

Exodus 10:21-11:10 - The plague of darkness precedes the final plague, the death of the firstborn. What connections do you see between these events and the events of Jesus that we celebrate this week? What is God's reason for the plagues in Egypt? What is His reason for going to the cross?

Hebrews 4:1-16 - The words about the power of God's Word can be a little frightening, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." This reality, that we must all stand before God's judgment seat, is a terrifying prospect. For that reason, the following words are a great comfort to us, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

March 29 - Holy Week

Exodus 9:1-28 - "¹⁴For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. ¹⁵For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. ¹⁶ But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." God is making a huge claim here. Not only is He saying that Pharaoh and the other gods of Egypt are no match for Him, He's also taking responsibility for Egypt's might. In short, God is not just "the god of Israel", but the God of the the whole earth. Egypt has been made strong for God's purposes, He is behind it all.

Hebrews 2:1-18 - "that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." The resurrection that is ours through faith, is not just something off in the distant future. That hope means that we are no longer subject to lifelong slavery. Even now, our lives are meaningful because of the resurrection of Jesus, that is ours through faith.

March 26 - Lent Week 5

Exodus 5:1-6:1 - Pharaoh's question is the typical question of unbelief: "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?" God's mission throughout the Old and New Testaments, and to this day, is to make Himself known so that we are without excuse. He reveals who He is in the Exodus and in Jesus Christ. And as His people, we are sent out to proclaim who He is, so that others may hear, obey, turn and believe.

Mark 15:33-47 - The centurion sees in Jesus' suffering and death the answer to Pharaoh's question. Mark's Gospel begins with the declaration that Jesus is the Son of God, and ends with the same word on the lips of one you would not expect.

March 24 - Lent Week 5

Exodus 4:1-18 - Moses' first excuse seems legitimate enough: "The people won't believe me." Then, as God gives him the signs to prove who sent him, Moses protests that he's not a good speaker. To this God reminds Moses of who formed man's mouth, and who causes people to be mute or to speak. Having exhausted his reasons to avoid being sent, Moses breaks down and begs that God would send someone else. Finally, God becomes angry with Moses and his unbelief, and yet he provides a partner for Moses. Though Moses wouldn't have been alone before (God was with him), God still provides Aaron as his helper and support. What excuses do we make when faced with a difficult task? How is God providing for us through it?

Mark 15:1-15 - Why was Pilate amazed with Jesus' silence? Though the text doesn't say, my conclusion is that he expected Jesus to make a case for his own defense. The accused always speak up in their defense, but Jesus remains silent. I'm certain the question, "Why?" sprung to mind. It is a question that we continue to ask when we consider Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf.

March 22 - Lent Week 5

Exodus 2:1-22 - Moses is a man between two worlds. He is a Hebrew and apparently knows it, yet he is also part of the inner circle of Pharaoh's family. How does God make use of Moses' in-between position? In what ways are we, as followers of Jesus, between two worlds?

Mark 14:32-52 - I understand that the disciples were probably exhausted and found it hard to stay awake. That said, I'm surprised that they missed out on the anxiety Jesus was feeling. I've always been an early to bed type person, but if I'm frightened or tense, there's no way I'm falling asleep. This story almost seems like the opposite of when Jesus calmed the storm. While the boat is rocking and the storm rages, Jesus is asleep and the disciples are on edge. In this story, Jesus is on edge, and the disciples sleep soundly. I wonder if the disciples were just dull, or if they had learned not to be anxious when Jesus was around.

March 19 - Lent

Genesis 47:1-31 - Here we see most clearly how God establishes the sons of Israel (Jacob) in Egypt. This will set the stage for all that takes place in Exodus. The Israelites who had come as guests, in time became slaves. God had saved his people through Joseph in mysterious ways, but soon with Moses He would do even greater works to bring His people to freedom and establish them in the land promised.

Mark 13:24-37 - This short section is full of cryptic words from Jesus. What do think Jesus' reason is for speaking this way? If there is a danger in not being awake or alert, is there a danger in obsessing over supposed signs? How do other parts of Scripture help us to understand this?

March 17 - Lent Week 4

Genesis 44:1-18, 32-34 - Joseph does some deceitful things to his brothers. Notice, however, that the test shares much in common with Joseph's experience with his brothers. They were jealous of him as the youngest and beloved son, and they sought to get rid of him. Joseph is trying to decipher if their attitudes are still the same. So he targets the youngest son and gives the other brothers a pretext for leaving him behind. What is different now is Judah's willingness to give his life in exchange for Benjamin's.

Mark 12:28-44 - The Pharisees and scribes are so often wrong that it's kind of refreshing to see one who "gets it". Jesus says to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." What do you suppose the scribe is still missing?

March 15 - Lent Week 4

Genesis 42:1-34, 38 - I realize that we're picking up Joseph's story near the end. It may be worth your time this week to skim over the previous chapters and cover how Joseph ended up in Egypt in the first place. In this section we see Joseph's first encounter with his brothers since their betrayal of him. In what ways does Joseph mistreat them? In what ways does he show them kindness? In verse 28, the brothers realize that they have their money back after receiving the grain. Why are they troubled by this?

Mark 12:1-12 - Jesus appears to be speaking this parable against the religious leaders. How does this parable fit with Jesus' story? In what ways are we tempted to "kill the son" and claim the inheritance?

March 5 - Lent

Job 37:1-24 - Perhaps as Christians we become use to the closeness of God in Jesus Christ. Another aspect of God is His transcendence, and Elihu presents a powerful picture of that here. God is above all things, and beyond our grasp. We can't understand His power or wisdom, and in fact cower in fear before His awesome majesty. And this same God comes into the world He created as an infant and dies the death of a criminal. How do the transcendence and closeness of God help you to understand Him and His relation to you? How do these concepts help us in evangelism?

John 12:1-19 - I've never noticed that the chief priests targeted Lazarus for death as well. Certainly we know that they had Jesus in their sights, and we know that after the resurrection the disciples suffered similarly, but I had not remembered that Lazarus was considered a threat to them. It reminds me that though Lazarus was raised by Jesus, he would at some point die again. This is why Jesus points not to the miracle, but to himself as the resurrection and the life. The gift to Lazarus was only a fortaste.

March 3 - Lent

Job 34:10-33 - This passage is very concerned with justice. God repays according to what a person does, and does not act arbitrarily. We all know how justice can be bad news for us, but in what ways does this structure comfort us? How does God resolve the tension of His justice and His mercy?

John 11:17-37 - There aren't many passages that do a better job of dealing with the problem of pain. All of us have asked at one time or another, "Why?" Why is this happening to me, or to him? Why would God allow this terrible thing? Mary and Martha confront Jesus with this. If he had only been there this wouldn't have happened. Jesus responds in two ways: he also weeps and mourns, but he states the truth that he is the resurrection and the life. The answer to all our questions about evil is found in him.

March 1 - Lent

Job 33:1-18 - Elihu says that Job is not right in saying, "I am pure, without transgression. I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths." Which part do you think Elihu has the greatest problem with? Is it Job claim of innocence, or that God is against him?

John 10:22-42 - If you're like me you probably found Jesus' words about gods a little confusing. I struggled to see how Jesus' quotation of "I said you are gods" helps to make his case against the leaders. At first, it seems like Jesus is saying that anyone who receives God's word is a god (lowercase). This would appear to drive the leaders crazy, and it's a challenge even to us. But perhaps Jesus' point here is that the leaders are getting caught up on the words (and ignoring other words that point to Jesus), and missing the fact that Jesus is doing what only God can do. As we look at the following words, and the whole of John's Gospel, we see that Jesus is not making his case on words at all. He says, "If I am not doing the works of my Father, then don't believe me; but if I do them [...] believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." In short, Jesus isn't concerned with defending his identity with words. His actions are what count. Does he do what the Father does?