John 18
Jesus Arrested
1When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.
2Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"
5"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
7Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?"
And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."[a]
10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)
11Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
Jesus Taken to Annas
12Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.
Peter's First Denial
15Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, 16but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
17"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter.
He replied, "I am not."
18It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
The High Priest Questions Jesus
19Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."
22When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded.
23"If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" 24Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.[b]
Peter's Second and Third Denials
25As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?"
He denied it, saying, "I am not."
26One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?" 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
Jesus Before Pilate
28Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
31Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."
"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. 32This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
34"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
35"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
38"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. 39But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"
40They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotions:
Psalm 86
A prayer of David.
1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant
who trusts in you.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.
5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, O LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you,
for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. [a]
14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life—
men without regard for you.
15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
grant your strength to your servant
and save the son of your maidservant. [b]
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me
May 5, 2008
The Debt Of Leadership
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READ: Psalm 86
Save Your servant who trusts in You! —Psalm 86:2
Examine the words of Psalm 86, and you might forget that you are reading the musings of a good leader. King David prayed, “O Lord, hear me; for I am poor and needy” (v.1). Then the king of Israel refers to himself as a “servant” and pleads for mercy. Think of it! This was the man God had chosen to lead His people, pleading for God’s help. Wow!
As we think about the role of leaders—whether centuries ago or today—it’s vital that we review what leadership means. According to businessman and author Max De Pree, whose leadership moved his company near the top of the Fortune 500: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the progress of an artful leader.” Those two words, servant and debtor, describe David’s view of himself as he asked God for help during his time of leadership.
All of us who are in a leadership position—whether leading a family, a church, a classroom, or a business—need the humble words of Psalm 86 as our guide. The “poor and needy” (v.1) servant-leader who trusts God is the one who, in the end, can say as David did, “You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me” (v.17).
— Dave Branon
Controlling other people’s lives
Is not a godly leader’s trait;
But serving other people’s needs
Is what the Lord considers great. —Sper
The only leaders qualified to lead are those who have learned to serve.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers:
May 5, 2008
Judgment and the Love of God
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READ:
The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God . . . —1 Peter 4:17
The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.
In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.
If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.
"A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft
The Hands Tell it All
Monday, May 05, 2008
You probably have a picture of yourself that you don't like, either on your driver's license, an ID card, or a passport. Now, there is probably a picture of you that you do like. That picture is the one that shows your good side, your hair is just right, there is good lighting and you're smiling. Once at a conference, there was a lady who really appreciated the ministry of one of my fellow speakers, and she asked, "Would you mind if I give you a picture of myself?" He said, "That would be fine." She signed it with a note, and he didn't look at it until he got to a lunch that I was also attending. He opened it, and said, "Hey, look at this picture." It was the most unusual personal photo I have ever seen. It was a picture of her hands.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about how "The Hands Tell it All."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Isaiah 49, beginning at verse 15. God asks the provocative question, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast, and have no compassion on the child she has born?" Of course, the answer to that should be never. But occasionally we know that might happen. "Though she may forget," God says, "I will not forget you." He says, "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." That lady gave my speaker friend a picture of wrinkled, worn hands. You could see that those hands had obviously worked very hard for a very long time. That's how she wanted to portray her life. God seems to be saying to us here, "If you want to know how I feel about you, look at this picture of Me. Look at My hands."
Do you know what the message is in His hands? "I will never forget you." First, you look at the hands of God in a stable, in a little town called Bethlehem, where all of the power of the Creator God is packed into this little Jewish baby. Here, His hands cannot even grasp His mother's nose. These are hands that created the world; now they're helpless as He becomes a human being.
Then, look at those hands touching people with healing at the point of their need. You can see those hands ultimately nailed viciously to a cross. A few days later, those hands are extended to Thomas to prove that He is alive. Now, Jesus is alive, He's glorified, but you know the nail scars are still there. God says we are engraved on the palms of His hands.
Maybe you're in a time when other hands have left you, they've let you go, they've let you down. Maybe the hand you once held isn't there anymore. The hands that paid you or met your material needs are maybe closed to you now. The hands that once applauded you, they're silent now. Even the hands that would like to help you now can't reach far enough to touch you where you're really hurting. But today, Almighty God has His hands open, and He cannot forget you. There are nail prints there because of how much He loves you, and no matter how alone you feel right now, He is offering all the grace, all the love, all the understanding, and all the power you need. God has you deep in His heart, and He's touching you even now. He wants you to know that. You are always on His mind. You are safely in His nail engraved hands if you have told Him, "Jesus, I am Yours." It could be that while Jesus has extended to you those hands that were pierced because of His love for you - dying for your sin - you've never really realized that you needed to belong to Him. Maybe you've turned your back on Him, maybe you've walked away from those hands, maybe you've ignored those hands. Not any more. Don't do it any more. He does not want to leave you out of His heaven. He does not want to leave you out of His family. He can't stand to leave you lost. He can't stand to lose you. Would you take His hand today and say, "Jesus, you are my only hope. You, who died for my sin; I have no other hope but you. You, who walked out of your grave under your own power; you can give me eternal life."
If you want that, we would love to encourage you and help you at this turning point in your life. Just go to our website, would you? It's yoursforlife.net. I can't help but think of those beautiful old words of the hymn, "I shall know My Redeemer when I reach the other side by the print of the nails."
