Who is Jesus?

Today's Scripture:

One Of You Will Betray Me, John 13:21-32

After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me."

The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples "the one whom Jesus loved" was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"

Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish."  So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do."

Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the festival;" or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.  If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once."

Today's Thought:

Is Jesus really the Messiah? This question marked the lives of everyone Jesus interacted with, and it continues to mark lives today. The greatest decision people make is whether they decide to believe Him and how they position their hearts toward Him.

The Sanhedrin saw all the good that Jesus did. They marveled at His teaching, but they worried that Jesus' popularity and teaching would affect their position in society. They wanted to protect their authority as teachers and leaders, so the Sanhedrin tried to trap Jesus with questions and plotted to end His life. Little did they know, that was the very reason why He came! (Romans 14:9) Judas walked with Jesus for three years. Judas lived a life wasted, and his life can be a warning: you can spend a lot of time around Jesus and His people without giving your heart to Him. It's likely that Judas figured he would gain position, accolades, and recognition when the Roman government was overthrown. Imagine his disappointment to learn Jesus came to build a spiritual kingdom, one marked by sacrifice and servanthood.

Mary was a simple, Jewish woman. She was unmarried in a culture where a woman's value came from her husband's position. Yet, she had the honor of anointing Jesus' body before His death. Mary took her perfume and knelt at Jesus' feet. Mary's outward actions mirrored the inner posture of her heart. She bowed before Jesus in submission, opened her most valuable possession, and poured it on Jesus' feet.

In the days leading up to Easter, it's healthy to pause and consider who we think Jesus is. Is He a threat to our current way of life like He was to the Sanhedrin? Is He someone we've followed because we believe it will bring prestige as Judas did? Or, is Jesus our Lord? Would we sacrifice everything in response to His love like Mary? 

Today's Reflection:

• How have you responded to who Jesus says He is? Have you ever responded to Him? 

• Are you following Jesus to get something from Him? 

• When is the last time you worshipped Jesus outside of a Sunday? Take a few minutes today to respond to Jesus with reverence and awe

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At Anchor Church, we exist to love and lead one another with the hope of Jesus. We hope this devotional is an encouragement and an inspiration.

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What is My Motive?

Today's Scripture:

The Son Of Man Must Be Lifted Up, John 12:20-36

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 

Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. "Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say - 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.

Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

Today's Thought:

As we move on in Holy Week, we see that the religious leaders needed to get rid of Jesus without causing a stir with Rome. Their tactic: attack Jesus with a bunch of questions. The goal was to trick Jesus into blaspheming so they could prove He was not the Messiah, but a lunatic. 

If Jesus was merely a man claiming to be a god, He would be a traitor to Rome and a heretic among the Jews. But Jesus answered every question with wisdom, and His popularity grew instead of shrinking (Matthew 22:33). 

As we read about the religious leaders it would be easy to judge them, but we do the same thing. When was the last time you asked demanding questions to God? Where you trying to gain understanding? Often, we pretend we're looking for understanding when we're hoping to find justification. We need a reason to do what we want to do. This rebelliousness breaks God's heart the same way the religious leaders' questions broke Jesus' heart.  

A lot of us are looking for answers right now. We may shout our demands for more knowledge, but God whispers with wisdom and truth. We must lean into Him to truly hear what He has to say.

God is a good Dad who knows when He's being manipulated. He doesn't begrudge us for asking questions. He welcomes our worries, our fears, our questions, and our concerns (1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7). But if we're not looking for honest answers, we’ll walk away disappointed just like the religious leaders in Jesus' day. 

Today's Reflection:

• When is the last time you demanded answers from God? Did you get what you were looking for?

• Does any area of your life feel under threat today? How is that affecting the way you talk to God? 

• Not sure about your motives? Ask God to show you. Borrow the words from Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

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At Anchor Church, we exist to love and lead one another with the hope of Jesus. We hope this devotional is an encouragement and an inspiration.

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Mary Worships

Today's Scripture:

Mary Pours Out Her Costly Perfume, John 12:1-11

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)

Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

Today's Thought:

We all have a possession that we value greatly. It might be a car, a family heirloom, a computer, or a house. It might be the first thing you grab if your house caught fire. We all have things that we value and take great care to keep.

In the beginning of John 12, we see the thing Mary considered precious - a bottle of expensive perfume. This perfume was not just a fragrance to Mary. It was worth nearly a year's wages.

Mary wasn't just saving this perfume for a special day. This bottle was her financial security.

In an act of worship, Mary poured her perfume onto Jesus' feet. She knelt to the ground and washed His feet, ignoring the opinions of others. Mary gave radically with her worship. She gave not knowing if she'd be able to live through the day, but trusting Jesus anyway.

Jesus began to explain why He's going to die, and urged the Jews to believe.

God gave His best when He gave us Jesus. God not only calls us to radical faith, He calls us to radical giving.

The next day, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as crowds praised Him.

Today's Reflection:

• What can you learn about Jesus from this chapter?

• What's holding you back from pouring your security out at Jesus' feet?

• How does this chapter show us that we can trust Him with what's most precious to us?

• Is there anything in your life you have not given to God?

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At Anchor Church, we exist to love and lead one another with the hope of Jesus. We hope this devotional is an encouragement and an inspiration.

Join us LIVE - Communion Service on Thursday, April 9 at 7pm on Facebook

Join us LIVE - Prayer Service on Friday, April 10 at 7pm on Facebook

Join us LIVE - Easter Sunday on Sunday, April 12 at 10:30am on Facebook

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