Monday

Isaiah 42:1-13

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope."
This is what God the LORD says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
"I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you."
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.
Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.
Let them give glory to the LORD
and proclaim his praise in the islands.
The LORD will march out like a champion,
like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies.



Many years ago, I was watching the 60 Minutes letters section when Harry Reasoner read a letter from a man complaining that words of Isaiah were used in a news story to describe Jesus Christ. The letter writer argued that Isaiah could not have been talking about Jesus because he lived hundreds of years before Jesus. Reasoner answered simply, “Isaiah was a prophet.”

Jesus Himself agreed with Reasoner. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus read from the book of Isaiah and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

In the centuries before Jesus came to earth, there was much debate among Jewish scholars as to who this “Suffering Servant” described by Isaiah could be. The best answer anyone could come up with was the nation of Israel. Jesus believed He Himself was the answer to that puzzle.

Pastor Ray Stedman wrote two commentaries on the book of Mark, The Servant Who Rules and The Ruler Who Serves. Those two titles quite aptly describe both the descriptions of this servant in Isaiah and Jesus as described in the Gospel of Mark.

What an extraordinary thing, that God sent Jesus, our Lord, to be our Servant.

DA

Tuesday

Matthew 13: 44 – 45

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

How can we understand the kingdom of heaven, with our earthly minds and bodies incapable of knowing the mind of God? We understand the kingdom of heaven cannot be bought with money or earthly goods, but how, then, is it obtained?

Jesus makes a picture for us by describing the response when the kingdom of heaven is found.
When we find it, we respond with joy, recognizing its incomparable value and seeking it with our all. No hesitating, no price negotiations, no holding back. Joyfully, we seek it with our whole heart.

If this is not our response, we have to ask ourselves why not? Have I not yet found it, or do I value something else more?

Jesus wants us to understand that the kingdom of heaven is worth more than anything else; actually it is worth more than everything else we could possibly have or desire. And, he tells us that when we give our all for it, it will be ours. No matter how little we have to give, when we want the kingdom of heaven more than anything, and seek it with our whole heart, the kingdom of heaven will be ours. Jesus made it so.

CK

Thursday

Matthew 5: 33 – 37

Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

This passage is from the Sermon on the Mount, the title given to Jesus’ moral and ethical teaching (Matthew, chapters 5-7).

Jesus’ popularity was growing (Matthew 4:25). In the beginning of his ministry, people came because of his healing of sick persons. When Jesus began to teach, the people stayed to hear what he said. He also taught with authority and this impressed the people. Although many people heard the Sermon on the Mount, it was primarily directed to Jesus’ followers (or disciples).

In Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus teaches that we should not swear at all. He says, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” An early example of an oath is found in Genesis 24:1-5, between Abraham and his chief servant regarding the selection of a wife for Isaac.

Today, in how many of the situations that we face do we say “maybe” or we lie?

WK