Follow Jesus Through the Gospels: A One-Year Devotional

Follow Jesus Through the Gospels

A Devotional by Meredith Anne DeVoe

Cover by Meredith Anne DeVoe, photographed in Miango, Plateau State, Jos

ISBN: 9781370230082

Title: Follow Jesus Through the Gospels: A One-Year Devotional

Author: Meredith Anne DeVoe

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Introduction

January 1: Beginning

January 2: Certainty

January 3: Receive

January 4: Fullness

January 5: Holy

January 6: Harlots and Heroes

January 7: Breath

January 8: Grace

January 9: Blessed

January 10: Magnify

January 11: Unsettling

January 12: Forgiveness

January 13: God With Us

January 14: Wonderful

January 15: Lamb

January 16: Find

January 17: Respond

January 18: Comfort

January 19: Omen

January 20: Star

January 21: Flight

January 22: Help

January 23: The Boy

January 24: Repent

January 25: Unknown

January 26: Fruit

January 27: Fire

January 28: Lamb

January 29: Temptation

January 30: Brother

January 31: Greater Things

February 1: Good Wine

February 2: We

February 3: Zeal

February 4: He Knows

February 5: Spirit

February 6: Lifted Up

February 7: Believe

February 8: Increase

February 9: Christ Alone

February 10: Thirsty

February 11: Spirit and Truth

February 12: Risk

February 13: Harvest

February 14: Time Fulfilled

February 15: Hometown Boy

February 16: Dawn

February 17: Follow

February 18: I Know Who

February 19: Needs

February 20: Looking

February 21: Desolate Places

February 22: Foxes Have Holes

February 23: Breaking and Entering

February 24: Mercy

February 25: New

February 26: Working

February 27: Identity

February 28: The Voice

February 29: Nothing On My Own

March 1: Lord of the Sabbath

March 2: Urgent

March 3: Bruised Reeds

March 4: Free

March 5: Blessed

March 6: Woe

March 7: Salt and Light

March 8: Light

March 9: Fulfillment

March 10: Reconciled

March 11: The Look

March 12: Reality

March 13: Give

March 14: Love

March 15: Secret

March 16: When You Pray

March 17: Fasting

March 18: Treasures

March 19: Do Not Worry

March 20: Measure

March 21: The Log

March 22: What is Holy

March 23: What is Good

March 24: Narrow

March 25: Suckers

March 26: Lord, Lord

March 27: Foundations

March 28: Authority

March 29: Authority II

March 30: Compassion

March 31: Today

April 1: Least in the Kingdom

April 2: Violence

April 3: Dancing and Dirges

April 4: Come to Me

April 5: Alabaster

April 6: Forgiveness and Faith

April 7: With Him

April 8: Blasphemy

April 9: The Good Tree

April 10: Sign of Jonah

April 11: No Empty House

April 12: Hear

April 13: Brother and Sister and Mother

April 14: The Sower

April 15: Given to Know

April 16: Weeds and Grain

April 17: The Smallest Seed

April 18: Field of the World

April 19: Hidden Treasure

April 20: The Net

April 21: Heart Like Ezra

April 22: Harvest

April 23: Wind and Waves

April 24: Legion

April 25: Tell Them

April 26: He Went With Him

April 27: Go In Peace

April 28: Believe

April 29: Do You Believe?

April 30: Speak

May 1: Hometown Prophet

May 2: Compassion

May 3: 2x2

May 4: Twelve

May 5: Beware of Men

May 6: Revealed

May 7: Sword

May 8: Cold Water

May 9: Herod

May 10: On a Platter

May 11: Come Away

May 12: Impossible Resources

May 13: King

May 14: Walking On the Sea

May 15: Fringe

May 16: Seeking Jesus

May 17: More of You

May 18: Bread of Life

May 19: Taught By God

May 20: Flesh and Blood

May 21: Spirit and Life

May 22: To Whom Shall We Go?

May 23: Time

May 24: Honor

May 25: The Heart

May 26: Puppy Dogs

May 27: Opened

May 28: Wonder

May 29: Blessed

May 30: Sign

May 31: Leaven

June 1: Trees, Walking

June 2: You Are the Christ

June 3: Plainly

June 4: For My Sake

June 5: Glory

June 6: Transfigured

June 7: Coming Down the Mountain

June 8: Faithless

June 9: Mountains Move

June 10: Astonished

June 11: Rights

June 12: Least Among You

June 13: One Such Child

June 14: Temptations

June 15: Little Ones

June 16: Aberrant

June 17: Cut It Out

June 18: Reconciliation

June 19: Bind and Loose

June 20: Forgive

June 21: Time

June 22: Agenda

June 23: Home

June 24: Looking

June 25: Him Who Is True

June 26: Right Judgment

June 27: This Man

June 28: Where I Go

June 29: Testing

June 30: Something More

July 1: No One Ever

July 2: Test

July 3: Light of the World

July 4: You Cannot Come

July 5: Free Indeed

July 6: Of God

July 7: I AM

July 8: Displayed

July 9: Sent

July 10: The Man

July 11: The Prophet

July 12: Now I See

July 13: Man from God

July 14: I Believe

July 15: Good Shepherd

July 16: I Am the Door

July 17: Other Sheep

July 18: Seventy-two

July 19: Unrepentant

July 20: Little Children

July 21: Woe

July 22: Written in Heaven

July 23: Blessed

July 24: Love

July 25: Neighbor

July 26: The Good Portion

July 27: When You Pray

July 28: Impudence

July 29: Good Eye

July 30: Clean

July 31: Woe to You

August 1: Woe II

August 2: Lying In Wait

August 3: Revealed

August 4: Sparrows

August 5: Acknowledgement

August 6: Rich Toward God

August 7: Grass

August 8: Treasure

August 9: Ready

August 10: Entrusted

August 11: Division

August 12: Interpret

August 13: Fig Tree

August 14: Loosed

August 15: Mustard and Leaven

August 16: Toward Jerusalem

August 17: Narrow Door

August 18: O Jerusalem

August 19: Rescue

August 20: The Lowest Place

August 21: Invitations

August 22: Banquet

August 23: The Cost of Discipleship

August 24: Salt

August 25: Lost Sheep

August 26: Lost Coin

August 27: Prodigal I

August 28: Prodigal II

August 29: Prodigal III

August 30: Mammon

August 31: Faithful

September 1: Money and Hearts

September 2: Law

September 3: Chasm

September 4: Millstone

September 5: Increase Our Faith

September 6: Servants

September 7: Not to Death

September 8: Asleep

September 9: I Am the Resurrection

September 10: Jesus Wept

September 11: Grave-Wrappings

September 12: Plans

September 13: As They Went

September 14: Days Are Coming

September 15: Pray and Not Lose Heart

September 16: Justified

September 17: Adultery

September 18: Not Everyone

September 19: Let the Children

September 20: Lack

September 21: Difficulty

September 22: Wages

September 23: Hidden

September 24: Serve

September 25: Bartimaeus

September 26: Zacchaeus

September 27: Engage

September 28: Investment

September 29: Inevitable

September 30: Forgotten

October 1: Fragrance

October 2: Hosanna

October 3: Stones Cry

October 4: City of Peace

October 5: Witness

October 6: Infants

October 7: Fig Tree

October 8: Robbers

October 9: Mountain

October 10: We Wish to See Jesus

October 11: Thunder

October 12: Draw

October 13: Paradox

October 14: Roar

October 15: Authority

October 16: Tax Collectors and Prostitutes

October 17: Cornerstone

October 18: Broken

October 19: Guests

October 20: Clothing

October 21: Things That Are God’s

October 22: All Live to Him

October 23: Answer

October 24: Son

October 25: Moses’ Seat

October 26: Woes

October 27: Weightier Matters

October 28: Brood of Vipers

October 29: Blessed is He

October 30: Everything

October 31: Beginnings

November 1: To Bear Witness

November 2: The Love of Many

November 3: Desolation

November 4: Lightning

November 5: Perplexity

November 6: Stay Awake

November 7: Ready

November 8: Oil

November 9: Least of These

November 10: Opportunity

November 11: Unleavened

November 12: To the End

November 13: Jesus Took a Towel

November 14: Passover Lamb

November 15: It Was Night

November 16: A New Commandment

November 17: Greatness

November 18: Bread and Cup

November 19: Swords

November 20: The Way

November 21: Not Orphans

November 22: My Peace

November 23: True Vine

November 24: Love One Another

November 25: The World’s Hatred

November 26: Spirit of Truth

November 27: Sorrow Into Joy

November 28: I Have Overcome

November 29: Accomplished

November 30: Your Name

December 1: Prayer

December 2: I Will Go Before

December 3: Gethsemane

December 4: A Kiss

December 5: Scriptures Fulfilled

December 6: Justice

December 7: False Witness

December 8: Distance

December 9: You Say

December 10: Field of Blood

December 11: What is Truth?

December 12: Silent

December 13: Barabbas

December 14: Crown of Thorns

December 15: Days Are Coming

December 16: Golgotha

December 17: Thief in Paradise

December 18: Standing By

December 19: Finished

December 20: Torn

December 21: Shrouded

December 22: Security

December 23: Rejoice!

December 24: The Greatest Gift

December 25: Things Concerning Himself

December 26: Stay With Us

December 27: Believe

December 28: Go

December 29: Revealed

December 30: Feed My Lambs

December 31: To the End of the Age

Bibliography

Author Note

Introduction

What I tell you in the dark, say in the light,

and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

Matthew 10:27

For about fifteen years, my family has used the Word of Life Quiet Time Diary for daily devotions. Every day, a passage of Scripture is assigned for reading. The reader is asked to journal, answering two questions: What is the writer saying? and, How can I apply this to my life?

Last year I felt the Lord leading me to take more time and give more space to a focused study of the four Gospels using the same basic format: read a passage, and write about what God was saying to me through it. I wanted specifically to examine the life of Jesus Christ, viewed as comprehensively as possible through the integration of the four Gospel accounts into a harmony of the Gospels, which arranges all the events of the Gospels into chronological order (I used three different Harmonies—see the References section). One or two times, I slightly changed the order in which events were recommended by the Harmonies that I consulted in order to make the narrative flow more understandably. Where stories are reproduced, I chose the account that gave the most detail; occasionally I used passages from more than one Gospel in order to give the most complete picture of Jesus.

I did not do a lot of planning so that the readings would cover one year. As I went along it became clear toward the end that it was going to come out this way. I saw this as God’s hand in what I was doing, in addition to the fact that He was speaking to the events of my life and thoughts of my heart throughout the year—which was a year of unusual tragedy for my family, and of unexpected joy; both.

Fair warning: if you choose to persevere through the end, the events of the Passion Week may seem like strange reading leading up to Christmas time. But again, it was not my planning that caused the events surrounding Christ’s resurrection to be the readings around Christmas! For me it was amazing to remember on Christmas why Jesus came—not only to be a sweet babe in a manger, but the Risen Lord.

I endeavored as much as possible to view the events and teachings devotionally rather than doctrinally. My intent was not to write a commentary on the life of Christ, but to walk with Jesus through the events, to listen closely to what He tells us about Himself, and be challenged and changed to follow Him more nearly. I pray this devotional journey has the same impact on you as you walk beside the Lord Jesus with me through the Gospels.

I am deeply indebted to the teachings of Word of Life and the years of being steeped in the Scriptures through the Quiet Time Diary. I hope this devotional is a worthy addition to the time you spend in the Word as well.

Meredith DeVoe

Jos, Nigeria

January 1: Beginning

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The beginning. Before time (Jude 1:25), before the cosmos, even before angels; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existed in perfect, unbroken fellowship. With them was love, for God is love; light, for God is light; peace, for God is a God of peace.

To think of Christ as the Creator transforms the reading of the Word. Christ was in the beginning, with God, and God. All created things owe their existence to Him. All that live owe their life to Him. All stars that shine owe their light to Him. From our after-the-Fall perspective, we are immediately confronted with a problem: that if darkness, death, and evil exist; then they also owe their existence to our perfect Creator.

But light shines in the darkness. There is darkness, but the life that is in Him is light for us. And the darkness has not overcome it; there is hope even in the darkness that taints the purity of the creation as it was in the beginning. There is life, even in a deadly world. There is God.

God, in peace and perfect love, was first. He is in first place in the universe, and so He ought to be first in my heart and thoughts as well. Since He exists outside of time and space, He is everlasting. In the scope of time, He created everything. Then evil came into existence. But the God Who is outside of and over time and space is more than capable of conquering it. This is a light over our existence—to know the sovereignty of a loving God over all creation, over our own lives!

"You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,

and the heavens are the work of your hands;

they will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment,

like a robe you will roll them up,

like a garment they will be changed.

But you are the same,

and your years will have no end." Hebrews 1:10-13, quoting Psalm 102:25-27

Isn’t it like You, God; to make a beginning that has no end? And since You are the beginning, be first in my life. Let my priorities and plans for this year begin with You and find completion with You. Be the center and the focus of my worldview this year. You are over all things in the universe, and in my own life. You are the light and the hope of my existence. You are eternal and what You do is everlasting. You are God. Amen.

January 2: Certainty

Luke 1:1-4

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Luke opens his narrative by informing his recipient of his purpose: that you may have certainty. He also tells his method: to write an orderly account for you; that is, to write an account that is not necessarily chronological, but chooses material according to his purpose. Luke wants to take what eyewitnesses have been telling and teaching (in obedience to Christ’s commission) and make an account that results in certainty.

Luke speaks of things that have been accomplished. Something did not just happen, something was accomplished.

Bear with me: I am not a scholar, but I love language; and the Greek language had nuances and shadings that are difficult to render in English. The Greek phrase Luke used is pragma plerophoreo. Pragma carries a sense of a deed, a thing, a work. Plero is defined as replete or complete. Phoreo according to Strong’s means to have a burden, i.e. (by analogy) to wear as clothing or a constant accompaniment: --bear, wear. Put together, plerophoreo expresses to carry out fully (in evidence), i.e. completely assure (or convince), entirely accomplish:--most surely believe, fully know (persuade), make full proof of.

Pragma plerophoreo is a proven certainty that the ministers of the word were so completely sure of, they wore it like a suit of clothing.

Luke and Acts are parts I and II of the same narrative. Some have theorized that they were affidavits for Paul’s legal defense to show that Christianity was a legitimate offspring of Judaism, which was a legally accepted religion in the Roman Empire. Whatever Theophilus’s (the name, by the way, means lover of God) purpose in commissioning the accounts, Luke’s purpose was broader. He wanted those who read to know for certain that what eyewitnesses were saying about Jesus was the truth.

Do I have certainty? When I read the Gospel accounts of things that have been accomplished, do I accept the reality even when what is being told seems beyond belief? Can I wear it as clothing? Can I accept it as a done deal, fulfillment, completion? Can I find my sure completion here, in Jesus Christ?

In Christ, I CAN be certain of these things.

Heavenly Father, You have done something in Christ that changed everything. Let me most surely believe in what You did; let me wear this certainty like clothing. You fulfilled all Your intentions in Christ. Let me find completion and answer in Him and in what He does. Amen.

January 3: Receive

John 1:6-13

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John has often been said to be the last of the Old Testament prophets. His prophetic burden was to bear witness to the light, not to be the light. Jesus, the light which was the light of humanity, was coming into the world that was made through Him—yet did not know him.

The light of Christ was too bright for his own. Blinded, they turned away. Light reveals much that may be offensive. Closing our eyes to it does not make what offends go away. The truth remains.

But some received Christ, who believed not only in His presence and what they saw with their eyes but in his name—his reputation and character, that He was the Son of God—and they also became sons and daughters of God. They were born of God. This was something only God could do.

Nor of the will of man. It rattles us to the core that spiritual birth is not by our will or decision. Yes, The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Revelation 22:17) While we come to God for salvation, it is not the will of man that results in the new birth. The key, perhaps is found in James 4:5,6: Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ (NKJV) The living spirit God put in each human being yearns jealously both to find and to resist salvation. Only by humble submission to the sovereignty of God do we receive grace and spiritual rebirth. It is not will, but rather surrender that brings us to say, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Surrender may be seen as a choice of the will, yet it is not the act of will, but the surrender of the will. Humility says I receive this, not I claim this.

Father, may I humbly receive the gift of life. The spirit of life that You placed in me yearns jealously, which causes me both to draw near and to shrink back from the light. I desire the water of life that You give without price. Let me humbly receive You and surrender fully to Your Spirit.

January 4: Fullness

John 1:14-18

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me. ') For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

In a few words, John the Beloved speaks incomprehensible wonders: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and John’s firsthand perception was that Christ’s flesh incarnation made visible the glory of God. Eternal, infinite, omnipotent God came to live as a human being among human beings!

Today we joke that we become our parents. The Middle Eastern worldview at the time saw that one was their parents from birth, in terms of inherited character. A son was identified with a father very closely. To say that Jesus’ glory was as the only Son of the Father indicated that He bore the character and name of the Father among people for them to see—and it was glorious to those who had eyes to see, glory full of grace and truth.

And from His fullness of grace and truth, John says, we have all received grace upon grace. It is a New Testament literary device to use hyperbole to attempt to describe ineffable mysteries. Grace upon grace is like a mathematical equation: ∞ + ∞. Freely given favor bestowed upon freely given favor. When God decided to show up in Person on the earth it was to display His character in terms of grace, not judgment (although that is coming, as He promised); and in truth. God is true in every sense of the word. To lie or deceive is sin because it goes against the character of God, who does not lie (Hebrews 6:18).

But it is from His fullness we have all received. Jesus, full of grace, full of truth, gives those attributes. We receive from Him what we do not ourselves possess. He does not only make God known, He gives us of His own attributes. His grace, His truth, become ours—and through these, His own glory!

Son of God, Jesus, full of grace and truth; let Your glory become visible in me, and in Your people. Let Your grace flow abundantly through our lives into others’ lives. Let me be a person of grace, and let me be true. I do not have these qualities in fullness in myself, but Your fullness becomes my own. As You displayed the qualities of Your Father, so let me display Your character. I desperately need grace, and truth, and so does the world. Thank You for becoming human so that we can become like You. Amen.

January 5: Holy

Luke 1:5-25

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

And Zechariah said to the angel, How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years. And the angel answered him, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time. And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.

According to historians the number of Levitical priests living in Jerusalem at the time were sufficient that the honor of entering the Holy of Holies could fall to a man only once in his lifetime, or perhaps not at all. This was a truly awesome responsibility. They were going into Most Holy place of God. It has even been said that a rope was tied to the ankle of the one who entered, in case he dropped dead while inside, so no one would have to go in to retrieve his body. The Bible does tell us that bells were sewn onto the hem of the high priestly garment he wore: You shall make … bells of gold … around the hem of the robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die. (Exodus 28:33-35).

You could die in there!

So when Zechariah saw an angel beside the incense altar, of course he was afraid. But the angel’s message is a blessing. An impossible child would be born after all hope was gone. He would have the spirit and power of Elijah, something God had promised over 400 years before: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 6:5,6)

Zechariah’s disbelief resulted in him becoming mute until the child’s naming ceremony when he gives the child the name the angel instructed him to, and his tongue is released to praise. But for now, he must leave the Holy of Holies and try to convey to the others that something marvelous has happened, not just for himself, but for all Israel who waited for the Lord.

And it happened, just as the angel’s message had promised.

I know that my approach to God is not often enough marked by the reverent fear I should have in the presence of the Holy One, whose might can only be hinted at in the revelation that His spoken word can render suns from nothing; whose holiness is such that seraphim cannot cease to proclaim it day and night; whose perfection cannot be comprehended by our imperfect minds.

Years ago I heard a radio message that changed my life. (Unfortunately I did not hear the preacher’s name, nor have I been able to track it down.) The sermon was based on Isaiah 6:3,

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!"

The whole sermon was an examination of the meaning and implications of the word holy as separate, unique, distinct. As I listened I understood that in all the universe, there is no other like God. There may be gods, but none who compare with Him. He alone is God. He is separate from Creation in the sense that He existed without it from eternity. He is unique because there is no other God and nothing in heaven or earth compares with Him. He is distinct because at His heart nothing changes or touches Who He is. He is holy.

Yet in approaching the One Who dwells in unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) we are not blinded. Instead we find that the heart of holiness is love. Jealous, raging love; but for those who come at His invitation, tender, kind, compassionate love. Just as Zechariah feared judgment at the angel’s appearance but received good news concerning the hope of redemption, so we also fear a holy God (as well we should) and receive good news.

Holy Lord God Almighty. I cannot even lift my eyes in the purity and holiness of Your presence. And yet You lift me up by Your hand. For You desire for me to come into Your presence. You made a way to present me holy and blameless before You—in love. I am undone, for nothing in myself could prepare me for this, but You have done it. You are the lifter of my head. This is good news! Your love and mercy are great beyond all praise, and I bow and bless Your name. AMEN.

January 6: Harlots and Heroes

Matthew 1:1-17

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew wrote his Gospel account tailored for Jews, so that they would understand that Jesus of Nazareth was their Messiah. As such, he begins with a genealogy so that they would see that He met their most important human criteria for the Savior: that He was the legal descendant of King David.

Much has been said about the women who are included in this list. Tamar, who seduced her father-in-law in order to secure her place in the lineage; Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute-turned-spy; Ruth, the outlander who risked everything; the adulterous wife of Uriah, Bathsheba.

The men in the list have the genetic qualifications needed to carry the lineage of Abraham, and the Blessing promise God gave him. The women named came from everywhere and nowhere. The women carry the human qualification in all its shabby, needful inglory. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba—these were all women who did what they had to do. The genealogy concludes with Joseph, who was not Jesus’ biological father.

I am continually grateful for the people in God’s story of redemption. There are no heroes-turned-demigods here. It gives me hope that God continually tells His story through ordinary human beings. Bathsheba’s appearance in the genealogy reminds us that the most blessed, most mighty, most heroic people have their weaknesses. God could have insisted that Christ’s line be populated only with the unblemished and unimpeachable, but He chose otherwise. That tells me that there is also hope of redemption in my story.

I can relate to the desperation and vulnerability of Tamar more than the courage and confidence of heroes and mighty men. From such as these was born the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

Heavenly Father, I love Your story and I am grateful for Your making it so human and real, at the same time that it is so incredible. The blessings of Abraham followed a line of people who made terrible mistakes, but none of them subverted Your purpose in bringing redemption to all people. Lord, I am a sinner who is so glad to be saved by Your grace; a flawed earthen vessel so blessed to carry the treasure of Your resurrection-life. Nothing can prevent Your plan from being realized in my life. Since no one can take that from me, I am no longer desperate, I am not vulnerable. I am strong in Your strength. In all the challenges I face, You make me a hero of faith. Thank you, Lord. AMEN.

January 7: Breath

Luke 3:23-28

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Luke’s Gospel was written with the Greek worldview in mind, and Luke emphasizes Jesus in His humanity. Therefore his genealogy traces Jesus’ physical being through His mother, Mary. The Greek grammar indicates that Luke knew that Heli was Joseph’s father-in-law, not father. (Dr. Marshall Wicks, Word of Life Quiet Time Diary 2014-2015, in loc.) Matthew begins with Abraham and follows the descent to Jesus; Luke begins with Jesus and follows the ascent back to Adam.

Adam, of course, was the first human being. …the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (Genesis 2:7) God breathed into Adam His own breath. The same breath that spoke worlds and light and skies and seas into being was now the life in human beings. He also made Adam in His own image, and we as Adam’s descendants bear that image—though marred.

Jesus was a new creation—a second Adam. God took of Adam’s flesh and made a woman. Now He takes a woman and makes of her flesh a new man.

The Apostle Paul tells us: Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life- giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven… Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

The image of God that He stamped on Adam will be restored. That restoration is begun in us when the life of Christ takes up residence in our being. The life-giving spirit, Jesus, breathes anew the breath of life into this flesh.

Lord Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man; You breathed Your life into us and then put Your whole self into a human body so that we could go from dust to heaven! Thank you for giving us life—again. Amen.

January 8: Grace

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin?

And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.

I recently heard a message (McCain, 2014) that talked about what we know about Mary, which drew several conclusions from the text of Scripture. Gabriel’s greeting reveals that Mary was favored, that is, she was a recipient of grace. Gabriel’s greeting, Chairo, charitoo could be roughly translated Grace to you, recipient of grace! the Roman Catholic prayer says Hail Mary, full of grace. Whatever the translation, grace was with Mary, and the Lord was with her.

Mary was also possessed of a brain. Her acceptance of the angel’s message aroused her curiosity. She knew where babies came from and asked how the pregnancy would come about, since she did not have sexual relations. The angel answers her that this is a God-thing. He even encourages her in that her relative Elizabeth was even now carrying an impossible pregnancy, for nothing will be impossible with God. She accepts that. Her answer, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord indicates her choice to surrender fully to His will.

Mary may have had an understanding that seems rare in today’s evangelical atmosphere. When God shows up and does a new thing, it can disturb the equilibrium of relationships. It can disrupt the peace. It can take the picture-perfect and change it into a different shape. People want to believe that God is all about our happiness, our best life now. We don’t want to accept that in the big picture, He is willing to make us very uncomfortable in the present for the sake of our eternal happiness. He is willing to allow pain to shape us to His purpose. In the big picture, He is good; and His plans for us by extension are good. But His good plans in the long term may cause us to suffer in the short term.

Mary’s praise song which we call the Magnificat indicates that she was intimately familiar with Scripture; that means that her family was a stable, synagogue-going family. Her pregnancy was going to be very difficult to explain and cause her and others a lot of trouble.

One of the most difficult aspects of accepting the call to missions for us was the unacceptance by people close to us. Some of those with whom we prayed and grew with spiritually, have never really forgiven us for pulling up and moving to Africa. Issues with aging parents and the needs of our grown children continue to cause ripples. Following the will of God does not mean having rest on every side; but taking God’s hand is taking hold of the One Who will never let go. Mary had received grace, which would take her through the hard things; and so do we.

Lord, behold, I am Your servant. As Mary took Your hand and the result was blessing and redemption, I trust that blessing and redemption will also reward my faith in You. I know that Your plan for me is good. Help me remember that when it hurts, and let Your grace be sufficient. Help me to feel Your strong hand holding me up. I know You never let me go. Thank you, Father. Amen.

January 9: Blessed

Luke 1:39-45

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

Why did Mary go with haste? I can only speculate that at best she wanted to see Elizabeth because Gabriel told her about Elizabeth’s impossible joy; at worst she was running away from problems she encountered because of her crisis pregnancy. The Holy Spirit speaks prophetically through Elizabeth, who names her the mother of my Lord. What a relief it must have been to encounter belief, and not to have to explain herself. Perhaps Mary was just looking for someone who would get it.

Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. Mary may or may not have been feeling blessed; the Scripture does not say. The Spirit tells her (three times) that she is blessed. When we go through a difficult passage because we believe there will be a fulfillment of what the Lord has promised, we are thrice-blessed. First, there is a blessing in accepting an assignment so tough that without the Lord it would be impossible. There is a peace and joy in knowing that the Lord has given you a job that is too big for you and therefore He will be with You and you must depend on Him in order to accomplish His will. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thess. 5:24)

Second, there is the blessing of encouragement along the way. Elizabeth’s prophetic outburst must have been amazingly uplifting to Mary! I cannot think of a difficult passage I walked through with the Lord where He left me without encouragement along the way in the form of Scriptures that spoke to me, songs, times of worship, something in a book, help or inspiration from other people, beauty-sightings…

Third, there is the blessing of the fulfillment itself. We may not even see this in our lifetime. Mary saw Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. There still remains fulfillment of all the things Jesus said He would do. But there are also times we can look back and know that God was faithful in being God. Prayers have been answered, miracles have happened, needs provided for, grace sufficient, forgiveness granted, strength from the Lord.

My Lord, thank You that to believe in You brings blessings upon blessings. Lord, thank You that You ask big things of us. You provide grace and courage to walk through the tough assignments. And You show Yourself faithful as we wait and see fulfillment of Your promises. Lord, we ask You to continually show Yourself to us so that we can be encouraged as we carry out Your assignments, and so that others will see that You are a God of blessing. Amen.

January 10: Magnify

Luke 1:46-56

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever."

And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Mary magnifies (or declares the greatness of) God for the following:

He noticed an inconsequential person and chose her for something for which future generations would call her blessed. Her present difficulties, and even the coming heartbreak of her Son’s rejection and suffering, pale in significance. Mary took a long view, and rejoiced.

What God had done was an act of extending His mercy to all generations of people who respond to and revere Him.

His actions result in reversal of fortune; the mighty fall while the lowly are lifted up. The poor are filled but the rich are emptied. For the poor and the powerless, this is good news! Reversal is a characteristic of the Millennium, and Christ refers to it being one of the results of God intervening in the world.

Finally, God’s actions continue His faithful fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, that through his offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)

I love that in Mary’s imagery, what God does begins small and ramifies to global impact. As God’s promise to one Abram would expand to include all the families of the earth, so the tiny foetus in her womb would become a Man Who would change the world. She saw herself as a small person through whom God’s mercy would disburse to all generations.

I should envision great things God wants to do through my life. Even if I am a small person, what I do for Christ ripples out to eternity. There can be a spiritual butterfly effect from my small choices. For Mary, it was countless secret choices to listen and absorb and obey the Word of God that led to the one great moment of saying Yes to God. I should not limit what God can do in and through me.

Lord, let my soul magnify You. Let me recognize the greatness of all You do. Let me realize that even insignificant choices have consequences that can affect many for good or for evil. Let me be a listening and obedient servant, ready to hear what You say to me and to say Yes.

January 11: Unsettling

Luke 1:57-66, 80

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, No; he shall be called John. And they said to her, None of your relatives is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, His name is John. And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What then will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.

… And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

John is the Anglicized form of Johanan, a Hebrew name meaning Jehovah-favored; while Zechariah means Jah has remembered (Strong’s). Something in the act of naming John the name the angel had given him completed Zechariah’s obedience, and his muteness was taken away and he praised God. It was generally agreed that John would be something different. It was evident to his community that the hand of the Lord was with him.

I cannot help but compare John with Jesus. John’s birth was celebrated by all as a miracle; Jesus’ birth was shadowed by doubts concerning His legitimacy. John grew up in his hometown and everyone knew of the astonishing circumstances of his birth and even before. Jesus’ family lived as refugees—from Bethlehem to Egypt, and finally back to Nazareth; where after several years’ absence Joseph had to reestablish his family in the community, even while doubts about his firstborn’s father persisted (Mark 6:3). All who heard of John laid up in their hearts that he was something, while other than the incident when Jesus was twelve years old, there was apparently nothing to write home about concerning His childhood. He grew up. John was recognized as growing strong in spirit, a child set apart by angels for a special task. By the time he does make his public appearance, many think John is the promised Messiah.

There are some people who grow up in a community and live there all their lives. Their families are recognized. They have all the opportunities and support to become something. They are rooted and established. Or within vocations, some grow up in families in a particular line of work and follow their parents’ footsteps. They too become pastors, or join the family business, or stay on the farm. They are what they are expected to be. There is nothing wrong with that. John’s community very likely anticipated and supported him to a prophetic figure. Prophets were allowed to be a little different, so even that was accepted.

But others have to find their own way. Their families moved around and they are always new in town, new in church, not part of the group. They must work twice as hard to make their place, to gain respect. Such was Jesus’ family. Mary’s acceptance of her holy calling as the mother of the Savior set her and her family apart from others permanently. Joseph was a carpenter, a very normal calling. They had other children and looked, for the most part, like a regular family. The miraculous events of Christ’s birth had happened way down in Bethlehem, years before. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, those from His home town were offended at Him. He unsettled them.

Yet, John’s ministry was to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared (John 1:7, Luke 1:17). I find it interesting that the Messiah made sure that the focus was elsewhere, while He grew up and only His parents, perhaps, knew who He was.

The Lord could have made His advent everything that His second coming is promised to be—as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, in clouds of glory, universally recognized and hailed—but He did not. Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

When a person accepts the calling of God on their lives, very often it sets them apart from others, just as Mary’s acceptance of her calling did; just as John’s did. The status quo is upset and things are set in motion that may affect generations and communities. That was our experience in becoming missionaries. We had to move numerous times, always the newbies, and always saying goodbye. Transitions, and the disadvantages that come with not being rooted and established in a stable community, become the rule.

In this, the Lord has been there and done that; in this He is with us as well.

Thank You, Lord, for being a God who understands our issues and challenges intimately. You Yourself experienced changes that must have been very tough. Lord, aside from the resilience that comes from meeting challenges and changes, You also understand what it means to be outside. You often walked among those who misunderstood You; You had to work to be respected and accepted for what You were, even by those closest to You. Thank You that You understand and model a peaceful strength as You lived these things. In Your name, Amen.

January 12: Forgiveness

Luke 1:67-79

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;

to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God,

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Zechariah’s prophetic utterance declares three very important points.

What God was doing was a fulfillment of Davidic and Abrahamic covenants; unconditional promises He had made with them to provide an Offspring to bring salvation and God’s mercy.

The focus of the Savior’s ministry was spiritual change. He would accomplish restored relationships with God (v. 74,75) resulting in freedom from fear, in confident holy living and righteousness. The confidence comes because of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. We would have forgiveness of sins (v. 77) and a relationship with God based on mercy and His visitation with light and peace—not based on our working our way to Him.

John was the prophet and forerunner of the Lord; he himself was not the Messiah. Israel had long expected their Messiah to come; in fact, scholars who were serious could have understood from the prophecies of Daniel that they were now in the time frame for His appearance. One thing they expected from the Messiah, when He showed up, was freedom from the occupation of the Roman Empire, and the reestablishment of the kingdom of Israel. If they listened to Zechariah’s message they may or may not have understood that those things were still in the works, but the Lord’s coming at the