Tag: The Gospel of Matthew

Saturday Morning, 02 Nov2019 – Matthew 28:1-20 ~ He is risen! Go and make disciples of all the nations.

Saturday Morning

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:  (A Collect for Sabbath Rest – Saturday)

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and set aside a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared to meet you in worship, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading: Matthew Matthew 28:1-20 (NLT)

The Resurrection

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

The Report of the Guard

As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.

The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
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Morning Reflection:

He is risen! Go and make disciples of all the nations.

“Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.”

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations….”

– Matthew 28:5-6,18-19 –

The resurrection is central to Christian theology. However the Gospel writers did not deal with the theological implications of the resurrection but simply recorded the facts. The Letters of the Apostle Paul help us appreciate the significance of this world-changing event.

If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
– 1 Corinthians 15:17(NLT) –

Following His resurrection, Jesus became the One through whom God now mediates all authority. And consistent with His universal authority, Jesus sent His disciples into the whole world with the mandate to make disciples. Jesus’ commandment involved –

  • reaching out to unreached people
  • baptizing people into a covenant relationship with Jesus
  • changing lives by teaching people to live and love like Jesus

The disciples were charged with going out in Jesus’ name, and reproducing “Christ in them” in the lives of others.

Questions for consideration:

  • Can you remember the first Easter you celebrated as a believer? How did it differ from other Easters? Please explain.
  • Can you remember your baptism? What were the circumstances? Please explain.
  • When did you first become aware that you were part of the family of God? What were the circumstances? Please explain.
  • Can you think of people who were instrumental in helping you grow up in Christ? Please explain.
  • Have you shared the Gospel with another person? What was the result? Please explain.
  • In your sphere of influence who needs to hear that God loves them and Christ died for them? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer: For the Mission of the Church

O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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“Go and make disciples”

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Friday Morning, 01 Nov 2019 – Matthew 27:45-66 ~ God forsaken.

Friday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (A Collect for Endurance – Friday)

Almighty God, whose beloved Son first suffered pain and crucifixion before entering into glory: Mercifully grant that we, walking in his footsteps, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Matthew 26: 20-35 (NLT)

The Death of Jesus

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

The Burial of Jesus

As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.

The Guard at the Tomb

The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.
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Morning Reflection:

God forsaken.

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”
which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

– Matthew 27:46 –

Separation from the Father must have been the worst part of the Cross for Jesus who had never before experienced anything but intimate fellowship with His Father.

“Here Jesus was bearing the sins of the whole world, and even God the Father had to turn away as Jesus bore the curse and identified Himself with the sins of the whole world. When Jesus actually died, He commended Himself back into the Father’s hands.”

Questions for consideration

  • Have you ever experienced abandonment by friends or family? What were the circumstances? Please explain.
  • Have you ever felt abandoned by God? What were the circumstances? Please explain.
  • Have you ever felt cursed by your sin, or the sins of others? Please explain.
  • Do you feel close to, or separated from God at this point in your life? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer:  “Anima Christi” – Philippine Madrigal Singers

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Thursday Morning, 31 Oct 2019 – Matthew 27:27-44 ~ The King is crucified.

Thursday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (A Collect for Guidance – Thursday)

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: Guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our lives we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Matthew 27:27-44 (NLT)

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.

After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
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Morning Reflection:

The King is crucified.

A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him.
It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
– Matthew 27:37 –

Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.

The Prophet Isaiah speaks of our Lord under the same image: “He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearers” and all this because “He was wounded for our iniquities, He was bruised for our sins; … by His bruises we are healed”.

This is Jesus Christ, who when darkness, sin, guilt and misery had overspread the earth, came down from Heaven, took our nature upon Him, and shed His precious blood upon the Cross for all men.

This is Jesus – the King of the Jews

Questions for consideration:

  • When you think of unbelieving people that you know, who comes to mind? How can you bear witness and pray for them? Please explain.
  • When you think of unbelieving nations, are there any in particular that God puts on your heart? How can you bear witness and pray for them? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer – for all unbelieving people and nations, that they will be converted.

O Lord Jesus Christ, O King of the whole world, O Hope and Expectation of all nations, O You who hast bought all men for Your own at the price of Your most precious blood, look down in pity upon all people, tribes and nations who are spread over the wide earth, and impart to them the knowledge of Your saving truth.

Remember, O Lord, Your own most bitter sufferings of soul and body in Your betrayal, Your passion and Your crucifixion, and have mercy upon their souls.We pray especially for the Jewish people, that they may acknowledge You as their longed-for Messianic King… to the glory of God their Father. Amen.

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ET SHEM YESHUA..Holy Name of Yeshua – Birgitta Veksler

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Wednesday Morning: 30 Oct 2019 – Matthew 27:11-26 ~ The Free Man

Wednesday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening (A Collect for Grace – Wednesday)

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Matthew 27:11-26 (NLT)

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.

Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.

Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”

The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”

So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Morning Reflection:  – Pennar Davies (Celtic Daily Prayer II)

Christ is the Free Man. Look at Him, my soul at His nakedness, His blood, His sweat. The Eternal Prisoner! The soldiers beat Him, cursing and laughing drunkenly. The feel that they represent a higher civilization than His, a richer culture and an infinitely better race. In each blow there is contempt and greed. Are not the Roman soldiers masters of the world?

Even in His anguish and shame Christ takes pity on the soldiers in their captivity. He is the Free Man. Gaze on Him my soul. Does He have wealth, worldly power, an influential position in the organization of a country? No He has nothing but a body now and the soldiers treat His body as they please. Flesh, blood, skin, bones, hair – He has only these things now, and the kingdom of Hell wants to take these things from Him.

Look at Him, my soul. He is a Free Man; the only free man in Jerusalem.

Pilate’s empire is a prison; Caiaphas’ religion is a prison; Judas’ dream is a prison; having been freed from his cell Barabbas’ rebellious moment is a prison. Christ alone is free.

My soul stands with Him. There by His side, under the lash of soldiers, freedom is to be found.

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“Oh My Soul” – Casting Crowns

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Tuesday Morning, 29 Oct 2019 – Matthew 27:1-10 ~ “I have betrayed an innocent man.”

Tuesday Morning

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening (A Collect for Peace – Tuesday)

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Morning Reading – Matthew 27:1-10 (NLT)

Matthew 27:1-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

Judas Hangs Himself

Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”

Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,

“They took the thirty pieces of silver—
the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
and purchased the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed.”
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Morning Reflection:

“I have betrayed an innocent man.”
– Matthew 27:4 –

It’s hard to know what was going on in Judas’ mind from beginning to end. However, when he realizes that his betrayal has condemned Jesus to death he experiences remorse – “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” But it’s too little, too late both for him and for Jesus.

Two of Jesus’ followers have denied him:

  1. Peter has sinned by words, under the pressure of the moment, and for him there can be a new start.
  2. Judas has sinned in deed, in a premeditated, settled course of action which has now borne fruit which, too late, he wishes he could have undone.

Questions for consideration:

  • Have you ever experienced remorse for sinning by something you said in the heat of the moment? Were you able to make a fresh start? Please explain.
  • Have you ever experienced remorse for sinning by something you did that couldn’t be undone? How was it resolved? Please explain.

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Morning Prayer: Of Repentance –

+ Jesus, Friend of sinners, You bring hope in our despair…. Lord, have mercy.
+ Jesus, Healer of the sick, You give strength in our weakness…. Lord, have mercy.
+ Jesus, Destroyer of evil, You bring life in our dying…. Lord, have mercy.

God of our hidden depths, in honest regret, in trust,

we confess our faults and recognize our frailty.

+ Show us that we have been forgiven, so that we may forgive….
+ Touch our wounds with Your healing, so that we may be people who heal…
+ Help us to be at peace with ourselves, so that we may become makers of peace with others….

through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Amen.
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“Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)” – Koine

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Closing:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen