Wednesday, Ordinary 27, Proper 22, Oct 8
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Meditation
Wednesday, Ordinary 27, Proper 22 presented a fascinating juxtaposition of the Psalm, Old Testament, and New Testament lessons. The Psalmist praised God for being true to the promises made to Abraham—that they would have a land filled with abundance—and he took comfort in obeying the Law, because he lived in the land of promise.
The Old Testament lesson in Deuteronomy proclaimed the consequences of disobeying the Law. They would take possession—be in charge—in the land of plenty, as long as they obeyed the Law. But they would lose, if they worshipped other gods and failed to obey the Law of Moses.
The New Testament lesson in John followed the raising of Lazarus from the dead. People could hardly wait to spread the news—some to Mary, Jesus’ mother and others to the chief priests and the Pharisees to form a council bent on killing Jesus. The first irony was that they declared Jesus a blasphemer and themselves the authorities on the Scriptures. However, if they had read today’s Old Testament lesson which declared they would have possession of the land if they obeyed, they should have determined that they were disobedient, since they no longer possessed the land. They were under Roman rule.
But they missed the point of the Law and the Prophets. They were simply protecting their networking power with the rulers of the land. They didn’t care about the people of Israel, nor did they act according to the truths of the Scriptures. They concerned themselves with covering their interests and the amazing signs, wonders and miracles that Jesus was doing, not once, or twice, but routinely, daily…posed a huge threat to their status and well-being. Caiaphas the High Priest called it that they would do better to lose one than the many. Sort of reminded me of the theme of Star Trek – “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one” and yet, each storyline demonstrated time and again, how the crew of the Enterprise would put the many at risk to save just one.
The movie, Saving Private Ryan, demonstrated how our country had put the needs of one over the needs of the many. Many lives were lost and damaged. Out of the eight on the mission, only two survived.
Jesus, however, put the needs of the many above his own personal desire, which we learn about in his prayers at the Garden of Gethsemane. “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son….”
We have choices today. We can praise God, like the Psalmist and observe the promises by obeying the Law of God. We can harken to the warnings of the author of Deuteronomy, that possession of the land comes with obedience. Or, we can be the ones who reported the good news to Mary or choose to report to the ones who wish ill upon the Good News of Christ.
Sides are formed and we can’t straddle the fence for too long. Choices must be made and actions taken. The good news remains, when we trust and obey, God rewards with promises fulfilled.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 27, Proper 22
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 119:49-56;Deuteronomy 6:10-25;John 11:45-57&version=KJV;GNT;NCV;NIV;ERV (multiple versions)
Wednesday, Ordinary 27, Proper 22
Psalm 119:49-56
Deuteronomy 6:10-25
John 11:45-57
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Psalm 19:14
King James Version (KJV)
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
John 11:45-57
King James Version (KJV)
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
55 And the Jews' Passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?
57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, we are challenged by the Psalmist to give you praise for your faithfulness. Help us to trust and obey you, so that we will make righteous choices. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 27, Proper 22 presented the beginning of the end for Jesus. Passover was drawing near. He had done too many miracles and the raising of Lazarus from the dead riveted the people of Israel to anything Jesus would say and do. His popularity was so great; he had to pull back from everyone, and withdrew with his disciples to the wilderness region of Ephraim.
Sometimes, even the spiritually pure must retreat in order to prepare for the onslaught of those who wish them evil. Jesus went north, with his disciples, to a place where no one would look for them. In a short time, he would return to Jerusalem for the Passover, where the religious leaders would have plotted successfully to capture and kill Jesus, led by Caiaphas, the chief priest of Israel.
When we find ourselves beset by those who would undermine us, work against us, try to make us fail or oust us, we can rely on the Scriptures that taught how Jesus was surrounded by such evil that he had to retreat for a while before he faced them in the final moments. He knew he was pure and holy. He was sinless. Their hearts were vile and villainous. Jesus was righteous and they were wrong, but for a time he would endure so that another day would be able to happen which would save the world—those who were willing to receive him—and he would offer them salvation, resurrection and life.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Wednesday, Ordinary 27, Proper 22 presented a fascinating juxtaposition of the Psalm, Old Testament, and New Testament lessons. The Psalmist praised God for being true to the promises made to Abraham—that they would have a land filled with abundance—and he took comfort in obeying the Law, because he lived in the land of promise.
The Old Testament lesson in Deuteronomy proclaimed the consequences of disobeying the Law. They would take possession—be in charge—in the land of plenty, as long as they obeyed the Law. But they would lose, if they worshipped other gods and failed to obey the Law of Moses.
The New Testament lesson in John followed the raising of Lazarus from the dead. People could hardly wait to spread the news—some to Mary, Jesus’ mother and others to the chief priests and the Pharisees to form a council bent on killing Jesus. The first irony was that they declared Jesus a blasphemer and themselves the authorities on the Scriptures. However, if they had read today’s Old Testament lesson which declared they would have possession of the land if they obeyed, they should have determined that they were disobedient, since they no longer possessed the land. They were under Roman rule.
But they missed the point of the Law and the Prophets. They were simply protecting their networking power with the rulers of the land. They didn’t care about the people of Israel, nor did they act according to the truths of the Scriptures. They concerned themselves with covering their interests and the amazing signs, wonders and miracles that Jesus was doing, not once, or twice, but routinely, daily…posed a huge threat to their status and well-being. Caiaphas the High Priest called it that they would do better to lose one than the many. Sort of reminded me of the theme of Star Trek – “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one” and yet, each storyline demonstrated time and again, how the crew of the Enterprise would put the many at risk to save just one.
The movie, Saving Private Ryan, demonstrated how our country had put the needs of one over the needs of the many. Many lives were lost and damaged. Out of the eight on the mission, only two survived.
Jesus, however, put the needs of the many above his own personal desire, which we learn about in his prayers at the Garden of Gethsemane. “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son….”
We have choices today. We can praise God, like the Psalmist and observe the promises by obeying the Law of God. We can harken to the warnings of the author of Deuteronomy, that possession of the land comes with obedience. Or, we can be the ones who reported the good news to Mary or choose to report to the ones who wish ill upon the Good News of Christ.
Sides are formed and we can’t straddle the fence for too long. Choices must be made and actions taken. The good news remains, when we trust and obey, God rewards with promises fulfilled.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Ordinary 27, Proper 22
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 119:49-56;Deuteronomy 6:10-25;John 11:45-57&version=KJV;GNT;NCV;NIV;ERV (multiple versions)
Wednesday, Ordinary 27, Proper 22
Psalm 119:49-56
Deuteronomy 6:10-25
John 11:45-57
Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
Psalm 19:14
King James Version (KJV)
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Single Bible Study chapter to study
John 11:45-57
King James Version (KJV)
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
55 And the Jews' Passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
56 Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?
57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, we are challenged by the Psalmist to give you praise for your faithfulness. Help us to trust and obey you, so that we will make righteous choices. In Jesus name, Amen
Conclusion
Wednesday, Ordinary 27, Proper 22 presented the beginning of the end for Jesus. Passover was drawing near. He had done too many miracles and the raising of Lazarus from the dead riveted the people of Israel to anything Jesus would say and do. His popularity was so great; he had to pull back from everyone, and withdrew with his disciples to the wilderness region of Ephraim.
Sometimes, even the spiritually pure must retreat in order to prepare for the onslaught of those who wish them evil. Jesus went north, with his disciples, to a place where no one would look for them. In a short time, he would return to Jerusalem for the Passover, where the religious leaders would have plotted successfully to capture and kill Jesus, led by Caiaphas, the chief priest of Israel.
When we find ourselves beset by those who would undermine us, work against us, try to make us fail or oust us, we can rely on the Scriptures that taught how Jesus was surrounded by such evil that he had to retreat for a while before he faced them in the final moments. He knew he was pure and holy. He was sinless. Their hearts were vile and villainous. Jesus was righteous and they were wrong, but for a time he would endure so that another day would be able to happen which would save the world—those who were willing to receive him—and he would offer them salvation, resurrection and life.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
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