Dailies
~ Advent
December
22, 2019
If
you knew how someone would respond to something you were going to do to help
them, and that it would not be well, would you still do it for the outcome? For
God sent his son to us, that He would be killed by us to be the sacrificial lamb
that saved us from our sins. Yet knowing how rotten the people would treat
Jesus, He still send Him to us. Even those closest to Jesus would betray and
deny him.
Does
your heart cry out for the men, or for Jesus our Lord who was the one who was
harmed? What can we do to show Him how much we appreciate His life? We can live
a life honoring His presence. We can do good for people, give of ourselves, and
share His love.
As
you read this day’s chapter in Luke think about the things He did, and his
disciples went through and think on how great a love He has given us.
Heavenly
Father thank you. Thank You for all you have done for us today, help us to
share that Love, hope and joy with others as much as we can, in Jesus’ name
amen.
22 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover,
was approaching. 2 The
leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus,
but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.
3 Then Satan entered into
Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, 4 and he
went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the
best way to betray Jesus to them. 5 They were
delighted, and they promised to give him money. 6 So he
agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could
arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.
7 Now the Festival of
Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. 8 Jesus
sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so
we can eat it together.”
9 “Where do you want us to
prepare it?” they asked him.
10 He replied, “As soon
as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow
him. At the house he enters, 11 say to
the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the
Passover meal with my disciples?’ 12 He will
take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you
should prepare our meal.” 13 They went
off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared
the Passover meal there.
14 When the time came, Jesus
and the apostles sat down together at the table. 15 Jesus
said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my
suffering begins. 16 For I
tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in
the Kingdom of God.”
17 Then he took a cup of wine
and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among
yourselves. 18 For I will not drink wine
again until the Kingdom of God has come.”
19 He took some bread and gave
thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples,
saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance
of me.”
20 After supper he took
another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God
and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a
sacrifice for you.
21 “But here at this table,
sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. 22 For it
has been determined that the Son of Man[c] must
die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him.” 23 The
disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.
24 Then they began to argue
among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus
told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their
people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among
you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the
lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is
more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one
who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who
serves.
28 “You have stayed with me in
my time of trial. 29 And just
as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right 30 to eat
and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel.
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has
asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I
have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when
you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
33 Peter said, “Lord, I am
ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”
34 But Jesus said, “Peter,
let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will
deny three times that you even know me.”
35 Then Jesus asked
them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have
money, a traveler’s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?”
“No,” they replied.
36 “But now,” he
said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a
sword, sell your cloak and buy one! 37 For the
time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among
the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come
true.”
38 “Look, Lord,” they replied,
“we have two swords among us.”
“That’s enough,” he said.
39 Then, accompanied by the
disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of
Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray
that you will not give in to temptation.”
41 He walked away, about a
stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father,
if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want
your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an
angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed
more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the
ground like great drops of blood.
45 At last he stood up again
and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are
you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not
give in to temptation.”
47 But even as Jesus said
this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas
walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. 48 But Jesus
said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49 When the other disciples
saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We
brought the swords!” 50 And one
of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.
51 But Jesus said, “No
more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus spoke to the
leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come
for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that
you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 53 Why
didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your
moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”
54 So they arrested him and
led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. 55 The
guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter
joined them there. 56 A servant
girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally, she said,
“This man was one of Jesus’ followers!”
57 But Peter denied it.
“Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!”
58 After a while someone else
looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!”
“No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted.
59 About an hour later someone
else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I
don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still
speaking, the rooster crowed.
61 At that moment the Lord
turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s
mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three
times that you even know me.” 62 And Peter
left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.
63 The guards in charge of
Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They
blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy to us! Who hit you that time?” 65 And they
hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him.
66 At daybreak all the elders
of the people assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of
religious law. Jesus was led before this high council, and they said, “Tell us,
are you the Messiah?”
But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me. 68 And if I
ask you a question, you won’t answer. 69 But from
now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand.[g]”
70 They all shouted, “So, are
you claiming to be the Son of God?”
And he replied, “You say that I am.”
71 “Why do we need other
witnesses?” they said. “We ourselves heard him say it.”