On the Ides of March 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated at a meeting of the Roman senate. Sensing a bad omen, his wife urged him to stay home. Yet he pressed his way to the meeting. Within minutes of his arrival, Caesar was stabbed twenty-three times by senators. The final wounds were inflicted by Marcus Julian Brutus, whom Caesar considered a son. His final words were to Brutus, “You too, child?”   The assassination of Julius Caesar is considered the greatest act of betrayal in history. What Judas did to Jesus is infinitely worse than what Brutus did to Caesar.  Brutus betrayed a tyrant in the making.  Judas betrayed the incarnate Son of...

In A Turtle on a Fencepost, Allan Emery tells of accompanying Ken Hansen to visit an employee who was recovering from an eight-hour surgery. Hansen whispered, “You know, I have had several serious operations. I know the pain of trying to talk. I think I know what questions you’re asking. There are two verses I want to give you – Genesis 43:26 and Romans 8:28. We have the options of these two attitudes. We need the perspective of the latter.” He read the passages, prayed, and left.  Every day, we choose one of two attitudes. To say with Jacob in Genesis 42:36: “All these things are against me.”...

This fifteenth stanza of Psalm 119 continues the train of thought from the previous section. In verses 105-112, the psalmist expresses his determination to live for God. That is what we find in this section. But there is a slight yet important difference.  The previous section declares his determination to live for God because of.  This present section declares his determination to live for God in spite of.  The writer was threatened, pursued, and harassed. Yet he maintained a steadfast determination to choose the right and to reject the wrong.  The story is told of a man who stood in the streets of Sodom and Gomorra, calling...

A family went out to dinner. The waitress greeted them and offered them something to drink to start. The couple’s son blurted out, “I’ll have a cheeseburger and French fries!” His mother leaned over and unsuccessfully whispered that she would order for him and he would not be having a hamburger. When she finished her lecture, the waitress asked him, “Would you like anything else with your hamburger?” “Extra ketchup, please!” he answered. The mother looked at her son and saw his wide eyes and big smile. Then she looked at the waitress and nodded her approval.  Let me qualify. This...

Mark 13 records the Olivet Discourse in which Jesus predicts his Second Coming at the end of the age. Mark 14 abruptly shifts from triumph to suffering. The one who will return in glory will die for the sins of the world. By the end of chapter 15, Jesus will be betrayed, arrested, condemned, crucified, and buried. Mark begins his Passion Narrative in our text. It is a chiastic “sandwich story.” Mark often begins a story, interrupts himself to tell a seemingly unrelated story, and then returns to finish the original story. This is what we find in verses 1-11.  Verses 1-2 records the religious leaders’ plot to kill Jesus.  Verses 3-9 records an unnamed woman’s love for Jesus.  Verses 10-11 records Judas Iscariot’s...

Prayer is the best way to respond to trouble. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” How should you pray when troubles come? Consider how Psalm 138 answers. It is a prayer of thanksgiving. Every prayer should involve and include thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the main ingredient of this prayer of praise.  This psalm of thanksgiving is ascribed to David. We do not know the historical background of this psalm. However, the text gives several clues. Verse 8 says, “I walk in the midst of trouble.” It also mentions “the wrath of my enemies.” As enemies troubled David, he responded by going to God in prayer. But this psalm is not a lamentation or cry for deliverance....

Henry Martyn wrote, “I experienced a solemn gladness in learning this MEM part of the 119th Psalm.” Psalm 119:97-104 is a prayer in which the psalmist addresses the Lord in every verse. It is a prayer with no petitions. It is a prayer of devotion: “Oh how I love your law!” He did not say he believed, obeyed, or proclaimed God’s word. He says, “Oh how I love your law.” It is a personal confession: “Oh how I love your law!” It is a present-tense testimony. He did not remember when he loved the word of God. He did not...

In the previous three stanzas of Psalm 119, the psalmist is overwhelmed by a fierce storm of affliction. Verses 81-88 is the low point of the psalm. The storm nearly wiped out his faith. In this section, the psalmist is coming through the storm. He is anchored to the sovereignty of God. He is standing on the rock. Verses 89-96 record the psalmist’s faith-filled testimony about the permanence, power, and perfection of God’s word. It is good news for all who trust and obey the word of God. God’s word is a solid rock upon which you can stand. It will not always make sense to...

Psalm 119:81-88 is the midway point of the Mt. Everest of the Psalms. It is also the lowest point of this psalm. The psalmist discusses his troubles throughout this psalm. But no other stanza, before or after this section, describes his anguish, despair, or weariness as here. His turmoil is evident from the opening verse of the stanza. Even though he maintains his devotion to the word, he does not experience spiritual breakthrough in this stanza.  This stanza also stands out because verse 84 is the first verse of this psalm that does not mention the word of God. It is as if the psalmist momentarily lost his sense of direction. It can...

This parable at the end of Luke 16 responds to an incident at the beginning of Luke 15. Tax collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus. The Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus received sinners and ate with them. Jesus responded by telling a series of parables.  Luke 15 records three parables about salvation.  Luke 16 records two parables about stewardship.  Luke 16 begins with the Parable of the Unjust Steward. Verse 13 warns: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Note verse 14: “The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.” The Pharisees were...

There are two types of God-talk in Psalm 119. The author speaks about God and to God. This tenth stanza consists of the latter, as the psalmist addresses the Lord in each of these eight verses. This stanza is a prayer. It teaches two lessons about prayer.  Handle everything with prayer. In previous sections, the psalmist says a lot about the difficult circumstances and ungodly opposition he faced. He will further discuss his challenges in this section. Yet we do not find him angry, bitter, or resentful. He responds by going to God in prayer. His example teaches us to handle everything with prayer. When trouble comes, pray about it instead of doubting, worrying, hustling, fighting,...

Imagine you lived during the days of Jesus. You were able to see and hear the ministry of Jesus in person. Somehow, you finagle your way to the front of the large crowd, close enough to speak to Jesus. What would you ask or say to him in that moment?  That scenario is the occasion of the text. Verse 13 reads: “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’” In Jewish custom, the firstborn son was the heir of the father’s estate, executor of his father’s will, and recipient of the lion’s share of his father’s wealth. The man of our text was the younger brother, who was deprived of his inheritance...