by Emma Strelan
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They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ they said (Matthew 27:28,29).
Read Matthew 27:24–31
I don’t know if it’s just the corner of the internet I hang out in, but I’ve noticed that online, no topic, event or person is off-limits from becoming the subject of mockery. Whether it’s a silly internet meme that does the rounds or a string of scathing comments on a Facebook post, people on the internet love to mock. I’m almost amazed by the creativity and effort that goes into mocking and making a joke out of things online.
I won’t lie and say I don’t appreciate a tasteful meme that pokes fun at serious issues every now and then. However, I think we can all agree that most of the time, the mockery goes too far, damaging people’s livelihoods and wellbeing.
In our past few days of devotions, we’ve seen Jesus challenged and mocked by a variety of people, from those who consider themselves his intellectual opponents/superiors to his closest friends, and now by these Roman soldiers. And they go to quite creative lengths in their mocking endeavours to bring out the irony of this man who claims to be a king, providing him with all the pomp and circumstance due a king, but in the most twisted and mocking ways they can think of.
As humans, we are gifted with wit, creativity and fun. But with that comes the temptation to turn these into tools for power plays, manipulation and a chance to prove ourselves intelligent and funny to others. A snide, witty comment posted about the latest public appearance of a politician may get a few laughing reactions on Facebook; however, it is a far cry from the purpose for which we’ve been given these skills.
As Charles Spurgeon observed, if only we were ‘half as inventive in devising honour for our King as these soldiers were in planning his dishonour!’
As we read with horror the mockery our Saviour faced on his way to the cross, may we find ways to let our own intelligence and creativity bring him glory and honour instead.
Lord, you know what it is like to be at the receiving end of human cruelty. Please guide us to seek better uses of the creativity you’ve given us than to put others down. Keep showing us how to live with radical compassion. Amen.
Emma Strelan works part-time as a content producer with Lutheran Media and part-time as a freelance videographer around Adelaide. You’ll often find her rummaging through op shops or dreaming of her next camping trip or outdoor adventure. She feels blessed that her current work combines two of her biggest passions – creative media and exploring faith – and hopes the projects she works on will have a positive impact on others.
by Emma Strelan
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge – to the great amazement of the governor (Matthew 27:13,14).
Read Matthew 27:11–23
I greatly admire those who can speak their truth and leave it at that. I feel slightly jealous of those people because when given a gap to fill, I often rush to defend decisions and the things I want people to understand from my perspective.
As humans, we have an innate desire to defend ourselves. But it seems like Jesus doesn’t. Why is that?
Silence is powerful. Jesus clearly knows that. But also, Jesus isn’t interested in defending himself. That’s not the ultimate reason why he came to us. Yes, the Word was made flesh to reveal God more fully, but even more importantly, it’s what God comes to do for us.
Thus, in the face of one of the most powerful people in that part of the world challenging Jesus to prove his claims, he whose very name was ‘the Word’, was silent.
Jesus has made the truth known – he is the King of the Jews, the prophesied Messiah – and no decisions made by religious or political leaders will change that.
God is who he is, no matter what we try to say about him.
In a time when it is easy to encounter opposition to the gospel we hold onto, and untrue accusations may be made about our faith, we can stand firm in knowing that we have a God whose truth is made known to us daily – in our baptism and through his Word.
Don’t we all wish we had Jesus’ strength of will and patience to stand so firmly in who we are without rushing to defend our sense of self when challenged? I am thankful that I have God’s truth to stand on, instead of my own. That’s a much firmer foundation.
God, our strength, give us the discernment to know when to speak and when to be silent. May we be reminded daily of the truth and weight of the gospel in our lives. Amen.
Emma Strelan works part-time as a content producer with Lutheran Media and part-time as a freelance videographer around Adelaide. You’ll often find her rummaging through op shops or dreaming of her next camping trip or outdoor adventure. She feels blessed that her current work combines two of her biggest passions – creative media and exploring faith – and hopes the projects she works on will have a positive impact on others.
by Emma Strelan
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders (Matthew 27:3).
Read Matthew 27:1–10
Yesterday, we encountered Peter’s failure in the face of Jesus’ faithfulness. Today, we turn to another of Jesus’ closest friends: Judas, who unfortunately doesn’t get a redemption arc like Peter.
There will always be many complexities to wrestle with in the case of Judas. What exactly motivated him to hand Jesus over in the first place? Why was he ‘seized with remorse’ so soon after? What was it that made him realise what he’d just done? And why was he driven to end things the way he did?
One thing’s for certain, though, is that Judas chose to cut himself off from Jesus. Perhaps in returning the 30 pieces of silver, he was seeking absolution from the chief priests, but they did not want or care for his remorse. It seems Judas never quite grasped the message that Jesus, in his ministry, pointed to and went on to fulfil that same evening – that Jesus is the only way to true redemption. Any other way of trying to make things right ultimately ends in death.
Let’s turn back to Peter for a moment. Unlike Judas, Peter accepts Jesus’ forgiveness, the price paid by the innocent king. And God goes on to use Peter to do marvellous things for the kingdom.
Judas had cut himself off from Jesus and couldn’t live with himself. But, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we never have to be cut off from Jesus. His forgiveness is always available. His grace is sufficient.
May we be reminded of this grace every day and trust that because of it, there’s always hope for redemption.
Lord of salvation, thank you that our failures will never be too big for your grace to heal. When we read passages like today’s, please help us wrestle with the complexities they raise, but ultimately remember the simplicity of the gospel – your grace given to us. Amen.
Emma Strelan works part-time as a content producer with Lutheran Media and part-time as a freelance videographer around Adelaide. You’ll often find her rummaging through op shops or dreaming of her next camping trip or outdoor adventure. She feels blessed that her current work combines two of her biggest passions – creative media and exploring faith – and hopes the projects she works on will have a positive impact on others.
by Emma Strelan
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75).
Read Matthew 26:69–75
Shame. It’s a powerful feeling. When we have acted in a way utterly opposed to our morals and intentions, it makes us question our very identity. Who are we if we can’t do what we know to be right?
I’m sure Peter felt that way. So aware of the words of passion and challenge that he’d spoken to Jesus that same evening: ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you!’ Peter’s words were rendered seemingly meaningless by his own weakness.
How often have we made a commitment to God, a promise of faithfulness, obedience and willingness to do whatever it takes to follow him, only to turn and fall down the next moment? The burden of our shame weighs heavily upon us.
Over the past few years, I have taken my spiritual formation seriously. I’ve completed a six-month intensive discipleship and mission course, read spiritual formation books by renowned authors, practised various spiritual disciplines and met with a spiritual director. I have learned enormous amounts about myself and God during that time and have been constantly challenged in many of the foundational parts of my identity and beliefs.
However, after all these years of seeking to go deeper with God and asking him what’s next and what I can learn now, it has been my experience of grace in the face of failure that has had the most profound and transformative impact on me.
Peter had many powerful first-hand experiences with God, both building him up and reminding him of his humanness. As one author I’ve been reading put it: ‘No-one flops like Peter.’
Jesus knew Peter would fail. Our flops don’t surprise Jesus. Neither does Jesus need nor want our bravado. He knows our flesh is still weak, no matter how willing the spirit is.
But the gospel story is one of redemption for Peter – and for us. Maybe we all flop like Peter. But no-one succeeds like Jesus.
God, our victorious king, may we rest in your victory, which covers our failures. Please keep picking us back up when we fall. Thank you for your eternal grace that never ceases to amaze and transform. Amen.
Emma Strelan works part-time as a content producer with Lutheran Media and part-time as a freelance videographer around Adelaide. You’ll often find her rummaging through op shops or dreaming of her next camping trip or outdoor adventure. She feels blessed that her current work combines two of her biggest passions – creative media and exploring faith – and hopes the projects she works on will have a positive impact on others.
by Emma Strelan
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God’ (Matthew 26:63).
Read Matthew 26:57–68
Today’s challenge to Jesus comes from the high priest Caiaphas.
Caiaphas represents and embodies the Jewish religious establishment, supposed to uphold the ancient laws and customs that establish the Israelites as God’s chosen people. Yet, Caiaphas is also a politically controversial religious leader, as he was appointed by the occupying Romans.
Unlike the expert in the law from yesterday’s reading, who was willing to engage in Jesus’ returning questions, Caiaphas is only really looking for one answer from Jesus: proof that this come-from-nothing backwater preacher isn’t a threat to his own religious authority and power.
So, Caiaphas presents Jesus with this challenge: ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.’ He’s basically telling Jesus to either admit he’s not who he’s claiming to be or be charged with blasphemy.
But Jesus won’t be cornered that easily. He knows that making plays for power and control do not ultimately impact the Father’s almighty plan.
Caiaphas fails to realise that this man whom he charges ‘under oath by the living God’ is, in fact, the God who dies. While the great high priest is doing all he can to keep control of the situation and maintain his place as the religious leader of the Jews, the very God he claims to serve is giving up his control, becoming powerless, weak and dead. Actions speak louder than words.
We can challenge God’s power and sovereignty all we want, but God’s response will always be: ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And that ‘I AM’ is the Messiah, our Saviour. Let us not let our pride and desire for control blind us to who God is and what he has done for us.
God of truth, may our pride, fear and power be laid low so that your truth may be made known in our hearts and lives. Amen.
Emma Strelan works part-time as a content producer with Lutheran Media and part-time as a freelance videographer around Adelaide. You’ll often find her rummaging through op shops or dreaming of her next camping trip or outdoor adventure. She feels blessed that her current work combines two of her biggest passions – creative media and exploring faith – and hopes the projects she works on will have a positive impact on others.
by Emma Strelan
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’ (Luke 10:36,37).
Read Luke 10:25–37
This week is a week of challenges. If you follow along the Scripture passages, you’ll witness Jesus’ varied responses to those trying to figure out just what his radical message and subversive presence mean for them.
Today, we read of an expert in the law challenging Jesus: If we are to love God and love our neighbour as ourselves, who is our neighbour?
My church recently noticed we weren’t focusing on mission as much as we wanted to. So, we created a mission ministry support person role to ensure that at least someone was thinking about mission. Having specific roles is a good way to ensure the ministry load is shared around a congregation or community. If there’s no receptionist, who will answer the office phone? If there’s no worship coordinator, who will organise the service orders? If there’s no youth worker, who will run the Friday night youth group? (The answer to all of these is too often, ‘The pastor!’ unfortunately.)
In today’s passage, we hear that loving our neighbour and showing mercy should be one of the highest priorities a Christian should have. So, in congregations filled with band members, money counters, PowerPoint slide operators, communion assistants, Sunday school teachers, flower arrangers, and numerous other roles, perhaps we should add ‘official neighbours’ to the weekly roster to make sure we’re covering our bases. Or perhaps not.
The trap I’ve seen my own church fall into when we assign roles is that anything outside of those responsibilities can easily be brushed off as ‘not my job’. But Jesus reminds us that being a neighbour isn’t defined by the role we’re listed as in the church directory. The Samaritan wasn’t trained in any specific ministry. He simply had a missional opportunity placed along his path, a heart (and resources) ready for compassion, and he decided to move in love toward brokenness.
It’s easy to let things fall into the ‘not my job’ category, especially when our jobs or roles often already come with an overwhelming number of responsibilities. However, when it comes to the battle of obligations, Jesus is very clear in what we should prioritise: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
Do this, and you will live.
Lord of love, may I see the needs of others that you place before me today, and may I be open to new ways to serve you, even if I don’t feel equipped. Amen.
Emma Strelan works part-time as a content producer with Lutheran Media and part-time as a freelance videographer around Adelaide. You’ll often find her rummaging through op shops or dreaming of her next camping trip or outdoor adventure. She feels blessed that her current work combines two of her biggest passions – creative media and exploring faith – and hopes the projects she works on will have a positive impact on others.
by Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
No-one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame … (Psalm 25:3a).
Read Psalm 25:1–10
The writer of this psalm certainly knows a lot about the ‘Lord, my God’ in whom he puts his trust. This is one of King David’s psalms, and he should know*. David’s life was full of experiences that tested his relationship with God. From killing bears and lions while tending his father’s sheep (1 Samuel 17:34–37) to slaying Goliath and then taking on some of the largest neighbouring armies around and defeating them also.
But David also had to learn some difficult life lessons. As a harpist, he supplied soothing music to a boss (King Saul) who didn’t always wake up on the right side of the bed and needed calming. There was also learning to dodge the occasional spear hurled his way (1 Samuel 18:10,11). David had to learn to trust an unlikely ally in the king’s son (Jonathan) and be guided by his spiritual mentors in the prophets Samuel and Nathan. He committed major adultery and murder and lost a child. All along, he could see God’s hand guiding him through life, teaching him lessons, revealing his plans and protecting him from his enemies.
By the time he wrote this psalm, he could write with a lot of confidence in what the ‘Lord, my God’ had done for him. But David didn’t stop there, and neither should we. Whether God has answered a few prayers and revealed some amazing truths in your life, or whether you’re just starting out on your faith journey, these words are such an encouragement.
David is asking God to ‘show me your ways, Lord’ (verse 4), ‘guide me in your truth and teach me’ (verse 5) because his hope is in him ‘all day long’. With all the praise due to his name and all the accolades David could shower upon his great God, this psalm encapsulates so much of God’s character from one who learned firsthand over many years.
Reflect on your life and journey with God, and then re-read the psalm and put yourself in David’s place. List what stands out to you.
O Lord my God, I praise you for all the amazing ways that you protect, guide and strengthen your people, especially me. I ask that you never stop creating in me a new and clean heart that forever sings your praises. Amen.
*Read all about King David’s life and be inspired by his journey with God in 1 Samuel 16 through 2 Samuel, and until 1 Kings 2:12.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife, Angelyn, are now empty-nesters living in Port Kennedy in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth. Steve says that he sees every day as a gift from God, allowing him to discover new ways to journey with Jesus and learn more about the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as well as how his Heavenly Father wants to use him in some small or great way.
by Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled … (Matthew 26:53,54a).
Read Matthew 26:47–56
I read that a Roman legion had 6,000 soldiers. How amazing would it be to have the capacity to call on more than 70,000 angels to look after you in some of life’s toughest moments? Jesus did. I could’ve used just a couple of them back in my school days to get rid of a mouthy older kid in the playground and certainly in the sports arena. Some people are just painful and bullies. Come to think of it, I’ve come across a couple of them throughout my adult life. Sadly, I keep reading and seeing how an imbalance of power gets to intimidate, harm and even kill the so-called lesser person.
Our society, and indeed our church, runs campaigns to end things like domestic violence and bullying in the workplace. We’ve created safe place and child-safe strategies and policies. I really wish and pray that the legions would step in and protect the innocent and vulnerable. And I certainly can’t see the will of God being done as evil seems to run rampant. I struggled with this one. So, what can we learn from today’s lesson?
Jesus said he had 12 legions of angels at his disposal by simply calling on his Father to intervene. Jesus’ arrest would have been a no-contest event, but that was never God’s intention. His plan of salvation needed to unfold, and it included Jesus having to suffer incredibly so that you and I would ultimately be free from the effects of sin.
We believe and confess that our Almighty God can do anything, but so often, we want the easy way out. Maybe, just maybe, God lets us enter many of life’s toughest situations with the end goal in mind. If life were so easy, how would I learn to trust him no matter what? How would I ever learn patience? And I can see my pride levels rising as I cruise through without any obstacles to test my resilience or reliance on his strength.
Keep struggling with this one, but continue trusting in a God who has your back.
Almighty Heavenly Father, teach me your ways and help me always trust you no matter what happens in this life. I thank you for the best life that’s still coming through faith in Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife, Angelyn, are now empty-nesters living in Port Kennedy in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth. Steve says that he sees every day as a gift from God, allowing him to discover new ways to journey with Jesus and learn more about the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as well as how his Heavenly Father wants to use him in some small or great way.
by Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’ (Matthew 26:39).
Read Matthew 26:36–46
The prayers below could be lacking something. If they sound familiar, give yourself a point.
- Dear God, please give us a fine day on Saturday so that the family gathering in the park can be a success and we all have a great time. Amen.
- Dear God, please help our dog respond to the medication so that she doesn’t have to suffer and gets well soon. Amen.
- Dear God, of all the beautiful people in the world, why is Grandma so sick? Please make her better so that we can spend Christmas together again. Amen.
These prayers are great. They call on God to do what we can’t do as people. Control the weather (1), provide healthy pets (2), and heal the sick (3). I have prayed these sorts of prayers all my life. It’s what I’ve been taught to do. It’s what I desire to have happen for the wellbeing of all … or is it?
Without sparking a huge debate so that my email inbox or phone doesn’t go ballistic, could it be possible that by stopping the prayers as I have, they are missing what God’s will is actually trying to bring about? As a result, am I open to that so that his will might be done?
Consider this:
- What if God sent rain because a drought was in progress?
- What if God wanted to show that some people care more about their pets than their family?
- Grandma has a beautiful faith. What if God is calling her to heaven?
Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane reveals more than just his desire to have the cup of death taken away from him. Although it would suit him from a human perspective to be spared the impending agony, his prayer also shows how he is reliant on his Heavenly Father’s will to be done as he surrenders in complete obedience. ‘Yet not as I will, but as you will’ (verse 39).
Consider adding these words to your prayers more, and be at peace with God’s response.
Heavenly Father, help me to trust you more, so that your will is also my desire. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife, Angelyn, are now empty-nesters living in Port Kennedy in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth. Steve says that he sees every day as a gift from God, allowing him to discover new ways to journey with Jesus and learn more about the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as well as how his Heavenly Father wants to use him in some small or great way.