John 17:20-22, Romans 8:34

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What does Jesus pray for? Well, what do you pray for?

We probably pray that God will bless us in different ways, right? That he would give us good health, that he would restore us to health after we have a medical issue or an illness that we’re dealing with. We may pray for our loved ones, that the Lord would bless them, that he would help us in our relationships. We pray that he would watch over our community, maybe our nation. But what does Jesus pray for?

What would it surprise you to know that Jesus prays for you? And you’re not just somewhere on his prayer list, you are a pressing concern for him. And we see that the night of his betrayal and arrest, the night before his crucifixion. And you think about, man, there’s got to be the most distressing night of all for him. He knows it’s all coming. He sees it coming. And yet what’s on his mind? You are on his mind and he prays for you. And by the way, it’s in the book of John that we see this John 17. We see his prayer. He prays for himself, but it’s so that he has the strength to bear the cross for you. And then he prays for his disciples. And then he prays for those who might hear the message of his disciples. And that’s you and me.

We read in John 17,

“I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one[a] in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one:” (John 17:20-22)

How awesome is that? That on that most stressful, anxious night that Jesus was praying for you. And then it was even more awesome as what happened after that, that he allowed himself to be betrayed and arrested. And he went to the cross, and there he took the punishment for the sins of the world and your sins and my sins. And there he paid for those sins, and there he conquered Satan, death, and hell.

Three days later, he rose again to show that his payment was accepted so that you can know you are forgiven. And through faith in him you’re a child of God. You’re an heir of eternal life in heaven.

And then 40 days later, he ascended into heaven. And what does he do now?

He prays for you. He intercedes for you. We read in Romans 8:34.

Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! (Romans 8:34)

And so when you fall into a sin and Satan goes to God and he says, “look at that person, they have broken your trust. They’re not worthy to be your child.” Jesus stands in for you and he prays for you. And he says, “yes, they have sinned, but I paid for that sin on the cross. They are forgiven. You promise that they are forgiven through faith in me, and they are your child. And you promised that they have eternity in heaven waiting for them.” Isn’t that so awesome? Jesus prayed for us on that most distressing night, and that he continues to pray for us and intercede for us as he leads us on to that heavenly home that he has won for you.

May God bless us as we bring our prayers and petitions to our Heavenly Father. Amen.

Matthew 27:25

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This is going to change the lives of you and your children forever. How would you respond if someone said that to you? Personally, I wouldn’t know how to respond. Who’s saying it to me? What is the context? Right? If it’s a doctor standing in my hospital room going over my test results, that sentence might make my heart drop through the floor. It’s not just a normal neutral sentence. It would be more like a death sentence, like a generational curse. But if the person saying that sentence to me is sliding a check to me across the table big enough to wipe out all of my debt and fund my retirement, all of a sudden that sentence isn’t a neutral sentence. It’s actually life giving. It’s a generational blessing. But it’s still the same sentence, but two completely different meanings.

In the Gospel of Matthew we find a sentence just like this, where Jesus, the Son of God, is on trial before Pilate. And Pilate, finding no wrong in him, says, I wash my hands of this man’s blood. But the crowd screams at him.

“Then let his blood be upon us and upon our children!” (Matthew 27:25)

You see, the crowd here is willing to take the guilt of Jesus’ blood upon themselves and upon their children, because so great was their hatred for him. They were willing to take on a generational curse to see him die.

Now we might shake our heads at the crowd, but the reality is, is that your sins and my sins are in that crowd as well, screaming the exact same death sentence. Let his blood be upon us and upon our children, and we know how the rest of the story goes. The crowd actually gets exactly what they want, exactly what they ask for. But ironically, the same sentence that they screamed for let his blood be upon us and upon our children was actually the exact thing that they needed most. The blood of Jesus.

You see the sentence the crowd meant as a death sentence toward Jesus, Jesus means it to you and I in a completely different way. He means that same sentence to give you life, a generational blessing upon you and your children. It’s as though upon the cross he is saying, let my blood be upon you and upon your children, and through faith that blood is indeed poured upon you and upon your children abundantly through Holy Communion. His body and blood is given to you to eat and to drink, and it is the very same body and blood that was given and shed for you upon the cross, for the forgiveness of all of your sins.

So yes, let his blood be upon us and upon our children, but don’t shout it as a death sentence, as a generational curse upon you and your children. But shout this life giving sentence to your Savior, who poured out his blood upon you and your children as a generational blessing. So may the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be poured out upon you and your children this Lenten season, and always so that we might grow in true faith and obedience to him. Amen.

John 19:30, Luke 23:46, Isaiah 53:6

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Our devotion today is on the last words of Jesus when he says “it is finished,” (John 19:30) and then also when he says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) So this is the last words of a man being executed. Sometimes the last words of people on death row or who are executed aren’t so great. Marie Antoinette is said to have stepped on the executioner’s foot right before they were going to take her head off, and her last words were, “excuse me, monsieur, I beg your pardon.”

There was a murderer a number of years ago here in the United States who was going to die by lethal injection. And his last words were simply complaining about the food he had for his final meal. But when it comes to Jesus’ last words before he’s executed, they’re not trivial and they’re not irrelevant or ironic or anything, but they actually are serving us, not himself, but us. When he says “it is finished” and “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

There’s a strange irony here that God, God himself, must die for us. Back in the 1980s, some doctors looked at what you might call kind of an autopsy of someone who was crucified and trying to figure out what would happen to the human body. And everything we see in the gospel accounts matches that perfectly. And it’s interesting that here’s the very one who determined the grain on the cross in which he’s dying. Who created the metallic makeup of the stakes that are now stinging through his wrists, that determined the geography of the hill of Golgotha. And here he is now, hanging as a despised criminal. And why did it have to take this very real execution? Well, the reason is my sins and your sins are very real. They’re not phantoms. Our offenses against God have really happened in real time, and they’re very significant. And they must be taken seriously by the court of heaven.

Our culture likes to have us think of sin as something that’s not that big of a deal. And sometimes, because we’re in a world where there are so many large amounts of sin going on, maybe we can falsely think we can hide inside of all of that. Kind of like someone at a vicious protest that is looting buildings and burning them down. If they’re in a large crowd, they might feel like they’re not as guilty. And yet each individual involved certainly is. There’s a verse in a hymn that says it so beautifully

you who think of sin but lightly. Nor suppose the evil great here may view its nature rightly. Here its guilt may estimate. Mark the sacrifice appointed. See who bears the awful load. Tis the word. The Lord’s anointed son of man and Son of God.

So in Christ and in his final words, we see how seriously God has taken our sin that God Himself must die for us.

Somebody once wrote that God unzipped the heavens of his wrath and poured it out against our sin. And we think of that passage in Isaiah.

The Lord laid on him, [on Jesus] the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

And his work is now all done taking care of this for us. He says, it is finished. And that word means that nothing more can be added, just like a cup of water. If you put one more drop in, it would go over the side. Nothing else needs to be added for the payment for you and me to get to go to heaven. So as we hear those words of Jesus every Lenten season, let’s be reminded of how seriously God has taken our sin, but also how extremely valuable you are and your future eternal life is to God. Amen.

Genesis 22

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In the early 1800s, there was an evangelist by the name of Müller who ran a network of orphanages in England, and it’s estimated that over 10,000 children came and went through those doors. So you can imagine how much food it would take to feed all those hungry mouths. But one day, one of his cooks came to him with some unfortunate news, and he said, we have nothing to give these kids. We have no food. Should we send them away?

And Müller’s response was quite interesting. He said, no, don’t send them away. In fact, get them ready for the meal, set them down, prepare the table and we shall pray and give thanks to God for the meal he is about to provide. It wasn’t long after when the front doors of the orphanage burst open and a baker came through with trays and trays and trays of bread, and he said, God came to me in a dream last night alerting me that you guys would need food today. Soon after that, the door burst open again and a milkman came in and he said, my milk cart just broke down. Can you drink this milk before it spoils? You see, the Lord himself certainly provided for Müller and those orphans on that day.

This reminds me of one of my favorite passages in Genesis. (Genesis 22) It’s the account of where Abraham is commanded to give a sacrifice upon the mountain, but with a little twist, because he’s commanded to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. So as they go up the mountain, Isaac notices. He goes, dad, where? Where’s the animal? For the sacrifice? And Abraham, in a very Müller way, responds. The Lord himself will provide the sacrifice.

See, we examine this text in the Lenten season because it’s so clearly foreshadows the coming sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. You see, in Abraham’s case, God commanded a sacrifice. But in my case, and in your case, our sin, your sin demands a sacrifice. Your sin must be punished. Even that secret sin that you’re so ashamed of, it must be punished.

But instead of God placing you upon the altar to sacrifice you, to punish you for the sins that you committed. The Lord himself provides the sacrifice. Yes, the Lord himself provides the Holy Lamb of God caught in the thicket of the crown of thorns, who goes uncomplaining forth and crawls up upon the altar of the Lord’s own, providing where his blood is shed to atone for my sin. The sins of Abraham and Isaac, and you as well. Your sins are forgiven.

So this Lenten season, we cling to the words of Abraham. The Lord himself will provide the sacrifice. Yes, the Lord himself provides the lamb for your sacrifice. He forgives your sin. The Lord himself does it, and the Lord himself is preparing for you a heavenly home where there is no more hunger. There’s no more sorrow, no pain, no suffering. And where the Lord himself will wipe every tear from your eye.

So may we go forth, not only in this Lenten season, but always in the boldness and the thanksgiving for the sacrifice and the provision the Lord is about to give you. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who provides himself as the sacrifice guard and keep your hearts and minds in true faith and obedience to him. Amen.

Matthew 27:54

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There’s this awesome painting from the 1500s. It was made by a German artist called Hans Holbein. It’s called The Ambassadors, and it depicts two diplomats in front of a desk. And on this desk is all sorts of instruments, books, a lute. But there’s also the strange design at the bottom of the painting. It’s hard to tell what it is at first, but if you view the painting from the right angle, you can see it’s a skull. It’s a sign that all of us, whether young or old, rich or poor. Some day we have to face death. It’s a painting full of meaning and detail, but to get it all, you have to view it from the right perspective.

This Lenten season, we meditate on Christ’s death for us, and it’s interesting to note, as he faced all this mockery and this derision by the crowd, how he did it all willingly. The Bible also tells us when Jesus breathed his last the earth shook, the veil in the temple tore in two, and those who were dead in their graves rose up out of them. (Matthew 27:51-52) And in this chaotic scene, we hear the reaction of those guards posted at Jesus’ cross. Matthew 27 verse 54 tells us

When the centurion and those who were guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54)

With all the excitement in the scene it’s easy to miss just how fantastic these words are. In no small part because of who was saying them. You see, the Jewish people had long been expecting a Messiah. The Old Testament told them all about it, and yet at the same time, they expected a political messiah, someone who would save them from the oppression of the Romans. A great earthly king. But Jesus didn’t fit this bill. He was a humble carpenter’s son. He spent his ministry preaching to the different towns and all of Israel. And because of that, the people rejected him. They handed him up to the authorities, and on Good Friday they nailed him to the cross.

But these non-Jewish centurions, they felt the earth shake underneath them. They saw the sky blacken as he was dying, and they realized that they had killed no common criminal. Truly, this was the Son of God. The question is, how do we view Jesus today? There are some who think he is a kind of guru. How to teach us how to live a good and moral life, but nothing more. There are others who view him as a kind of advocate for political or social change. Yet still there are others who see him just as a historical figure.

The Bible tells us a different story. It gives us a different perspective. It tells us about Jesus, who had come to save us from our sins. As he was being mocked upon the cross. He bore the insults patiently. More than that, he bore the sins of the people as he bore the sins of the whole world. Jesus faced the wrath of God, and because of that, we no longer have to fear because of God’s wrath. He even endured the abandonment of the father so that we would never face it. Because of what Jesus has done, because he had died for us we who enter into the church by faith have a completely different perspective. Now we see a loving God who cares for us, who through Jesus sees us as his sons and daughters. Heaven has been opened for us, and because of that, we no longer fear what happens after death.

Jesus’s message of forgiveness was for the non-Jewish centurion, just as it was for the children of Israel, just as it is for you and me. Jesus has cleansed us from our sins through death, and on the last day we will see Jesus coming from heaven, descending from the clouds, and he will take us to be with him forever in heaven. Truly, this is the Son of God.

Matthew 27:1-5

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I’d like to begin by sharing a text with you from Matthew chapter 27.

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people reached the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he felt remorse. He brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders and said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? That’s your problem.” He threw the pieces of silver into the temple and left. Then he went out and hanged himself.

Judas is right. He has betrayed innocent blood. He had the privilege of knowing the only perfect man and not just a perfect man. But God come in the flesh. He had that great privilege. And not just as a bystander, as somebody who saw Jesus walk by, but as one of his students, and not just as a student, but one of those 12 who he chose out of his disciples to know him intimately. To be instructed by him directly. To know him not just as a student, but as a friend. He had that great privilege, and yet he sold the author of life into death. Not for kingdoms or for eternal life, but just for 30 measly pieces of silver. It’s a horrific act, monstrous beyond our knowing. And yet Judas is not the only one who’s betrayed innocent blood.

All sin is such a betrayal. Even though Judas’ is more personal, it’s more easy to see how a man who walked with God and talked with him like a friend, how monstrous it is to sell him into death. The same is true of all sin. It’s equally personal. Whenever we lie about another human being, whenever we hate them, when we ever lust after them, whenever we have a temptation to treat them as something light, we are treating one of God’s greatest gifts to us, his image in us as a light or cheap thing sounds like subject to my derision. But more than just the betrayal of treating God’s gift as something of light, every betrayal of sin is also a betrayal of innocent blood. Because no matter how small a moment of sin it is, no matter how little of a thought. It still required the blood of God to be shed for its forgiveness.

And so sin is really something monstrous beyond our knowing. And yet at the same time, despite how great that betrayal of sin is, there is a worse betrayal, the kind of betrayal that Judas commits in today’s text when aware of his sin, he despairs and takes his own life. Because although sin is horrific and monstrous, it is precisely to shed his innocent blood to pay for it that Christ came to earth. Not just to be a friend or a teacher, or to walk among us. In fact, he told Judas and the apostles specifically that he came to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45)

So when Judas takes his own life in despair of sin, he’s casting aside that innocent blood shed for him and betraying it in a deeper and more terrible way. If you’ve ever been tempted to follow the same kind of sin that Judas did, when if you ever come to know your sin as truly horrific and to see what it deserves, I want you to know that Christ came down to earth precisely to pay for that sin. He was even more fully aware of it than you, knowing it’s full evil at all times, in a way we only grasp in moments. And still he chose to come and shed his blood for it. So please don’t betray that innocent blood. But cling to it. Look to it for forgiveness and life. And wait till that day when Christ comes again. And you can walk with him face to face as a friend. Amen.

If you are struggling with guilt we would encourage you to speak with a Lutheran pastor. Visit els.org/locations/ to find a pastor near you or send us a message and we can connect you with someone to help.

John 11:47-48, 50

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It’s interesting to think about how often God uses his enemies as pawns to accomplish his own plans. Let’s think about the high priest Caiaphas, for example. He was no friend or follower of Jesus of Nazareth, and yet God used him to proclaim a gospel filled prophecy about Christ. Let’s set the stage.

Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, and a number of people saw that miracle. And they went to the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they told them about it. So they quickly gathered together a council to decide what to do about Jesus. John 11 verse 47 tells us this. It says,

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” (John 11:47-48)

It is then where Caiaphas states, what John tells us is a prophecy about Christ. He says,

“It is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” (John 11:50)

You can almost envision this as a mafia hit, where the kingpin makes it explicitly clear who the target is, and that he is not to survive. We need to kill Jesus so that we don’t die. Caiaphas couldn’t have understood the full truth of what he was saying at that moment. He only was thinking in immediate political terms. And yet God had the whole world and world history in view with this statement. One man for the people. You see, it’s not just Caiaphas and the chief priests who plot and maneuver for power, but we all jealously scheme to take advantage of situations for our own benefit. Our sinful nature looks at those who are doing well, and especially if there’s prestige to be gained, we want to bring them down to benefit ourselves. It’s easy to hate the best just because they’re the best. We all sin in these ways and are in need of a Savior from sin.

Now, I don’t think Caiaphas could have had the ritual of the scapegoat in mind during this conversation. And yet that’s exactly what is going on here. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the high priest was to bring two goats to the temple and pray over one, symbolically placing the sins of the people on that goat who was designated for slaughter. And then the other goat was to be set free and released. This is a depiction of what Jesus is for us. He is the Lamb of God who goes uncomplaining forth to the cross with our sins placed on him. He is the full atoning sacrifice for our sins, who sets us right in the eyes of God. So in the end, Caiaphas was viewing Jesus death to secure his political position, and God was using this event to provide hope and salvation for all mankind.

So today we are left with the prophetic words of Caiaphas as comfort. It’s expedient for us that one man, Jesus Christ, laid down his life to save the people.

Luke 23:46-47

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Today, we consider the final statement made about Jesus during his suffering and death. We hear the words of the Roman centurion who crucified him.

So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man!” (Luke 23:47)

Now, the centurion’s statement is interesting, to say the least, and it raises a few questions for us. First, how did he know? And second, what did he mean? So the centurion can see that there is something different about Jesus. Luke records that from noon to 3:00 there was darkness over the land. On top of that, at the end of this time, Jesus cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Father, ‘into your hands I commit My spirit.'” And when he said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

The Centurion would have been familiar with crucifixion. He knows that it’s a long, drawn out process. You don’t get to choose when you die. That would kind of defeat the point. You go out with a whimper, not a bang. So in this dramatic moment with Jesus final statement and giving up his spirit, the centurion sees that there’s something different about Jesus. And he’s not your normal death row inmate. Even in his final moments. Even in this moment of absolute undurable agony, Jesus shows that he is in control.

Even though he’s dying, he’s the one defeating death. Jesus gets to decide when it’s over. He decides when he’s let death had enough. The centurion sees the miracle of darkness, and he sees and marvels at the power that Jesus displays in his last moments.

So what does he mean? Now we can’t say for certain what the centurion all knew or where he’s at in this moment. It’s possible he didn’t understand or grasp the true, deeper meaning of what he said. But I like to think that he’s pretty tuned in here. Luke says that he glorified God in saying this. The centurion knows that there’s something unique about Jesus, and Jesus is righteous, not just because he’s innocent and didn’t deserve to die.

No, he’s righteous because he is sinless. Jesus perfect righteousness gives his sacrifice on the cross, the power and the ability and the value to pay for the sins of the whole world. Jesus is righteous and he makes us righteous by forgiving our sins and giving us the righteousness he won and lived. There’s something special about Jesus. He has the power over death and the power over sin. Amen.

Luke 23:42-43

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I have my father’s memory. These are the words that I speak to somebody when I’ve forgotten something that I was going to tell them, or I forgot something that they told me. My father can be quite forgetful at times, and I’m definitely his son in that regard. As human beings, we know this all too well. We forget a million things every day, but we also remember things for the rest of our lives.

Things such as good achievements and milestones that we’ve accomplished. Our first job. Our first relationship. Our first car, graduations, the list goes on. We also remember the worst things in our lives, such as the death of a parent or a loved one. We also remember the greatest sins that we’ve committed, whether that be lying to a loved one, to our wife, getting angry at our family, or our kids, lying on our taxes. There can be times when these sins weigh us down so much that we think it’s too great to ever be forgiven. It is in these times that we can remember the words of the thief on the cross next to Jesus.

Before he spoke these words, he was mocking God to His face while he was on the cross paying for our sins. But before he died, he spoke these words from Luke 23, verse 42.

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

When you’re feeling weighed down by these sins that are stuck on your mind, when you’re feeling burdened by your conscience. Hear the holy and comforting words of Christ to the thief on the cross and to you. When he says,

Jesus said to him, “Amen I tell you: Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

On the cross, Christ paid for all of your sins. He took the burden upon himself so that you will never face punishment. God accepted this payment and he has wiped away your sins completely from his memory. They have been forgiven and forgotten entirely. God loves you, and he desires for you to know that not only were your sins forgotten, but you are remembered as a child of God.

When Jesus comes on the last day, he will come to you and say, enter into my kingdom. Your sins will not be counted against you because the Almighty, all knowing God has wiped them from his memory. Jesus says to you, truly you will be with me in paradise. Amen.

John 18:37-38

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There’s a scene in the movie The Matrix that has always struck me. The main character, Neo, is offered two choices. A choice between a red pill and a blue pill. The blue pill will allow him to stay in his current reality what he thinks is his truth. What he thinks is what’s going on in the world around him. But the other pill, the red pill, will show him what reality actually is. It’ll show him these life changing truths, and his world will never be the same if he takes that pill.

That red pill really symbolizes the truth for Neo. The Holy Scriptures contain truths for us as well. They are, in a way, a red pill. It tells us about God’s judgments and it tells us about our Redeemer as well.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever told a lie? Well, if you’re like me, you have. And that earns you the title of liar. It’s a title I have as well. Have you ever stolen something? Even if it wasn’t physical? If you stole somebody else’s idea. Then you’re a thief. I have that title as well. And God’s Word contains a truth about those two titles and about other sins. First, it says that we are sinners, that we have violated God’s holy law, and that there is judgment for sinners like us. That we cannot be in the presence of a holy God with those sins attached to us, that we would be lost and condemned if they were not removed from us.

So what truth is there about our Savior? Jesus in the pretorium on Good Friday morning, when, under questioning by Pontius Pilate, said that he testified to the truth. Let us read from the Gospel of John.

Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
“What is truth?” Pilate said to him. (John 18:37-38)

Well, let’s answer Pontius Pilate question first. God’s Word is true. It tells us about our loving God. It also tells us about ourselves. It also says that Jesus came to live and to die for sinners. That he lived a holy, a perfect life for you and for me. That he never once sinned, but took his holy, perfect life to the cross, and he paid for all sins for all people.

So my friends, take the red pill and learn about in Scripture and remind yourselves about the precious truths that are in Scripture. That are about you, that yes, you are a sinner and more importantly, that yes, Jesus is for you. That he has come to redeem you from all of your sins past, present, and future. And that by knowing Jesus and Him crucified, you have complete and total forgiveness. Amen.

Matthew 26:34, 72

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Do you have any fake friends? Friends who act one way part of the time, but then at other times seem like completely different people. Friends who you want to believe will stick up for you and have your back no matter what, but then always seem to turn their back on you when they’re around other people. If that’s you know that Jesus had friends like that too.

On the night that Jesus was arrested and put on trial, one of his closest friends, Peter, turned his back on Jesus. That night, three different times, people came up to Peter and asked him, hey, didn’t I see you hanging out with Jesus? And out of fear, Peter denied it each time, saying, I don’t know what you’re talking about. In fact, by the third time this happened, Peter was so upset that people kept associating him with Jesus that the Bible tells us

Again Peter denied it with an oath and said, “I do not know the man.” (Matthew 26:72 EHV)

Now you might be thinking, if that was my friend, well, we would no longer be friends. But Jesus had a different answer. You see, just hours before Jesus told Peter that this was going to happen. Jesus, he looked Peter dead in the eye and he said,

“Amen I tell you: Tonight before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.” (Matthew 26:34 EHV)

And yet even knowing what Peter was going to do. Jesus still chose to go to the cross. Jesus. He knows what it’s like to get let down by your friends. He knows what it’s like to have friends who don’t always have your back, or pretend not to be your friend when they’re around others. He also knows that, well, we don’t always act like the best friends either. But no matter who you are or what you’ve done. Jesus chooses to be your friend and he is loyal to you because he loves you.

Jesus, he didn’t need to wait for Peter to deny him to determine whether or not he would be Peter’s friend, because he already knew what Peter was going to do. Jesus, he knows what it’s like to be let down by your friends. He knows what it’s like to have friends who don’t always have your back, or pretend not to be your friend when they’re around other people. He also knows that we don’t always act like the best friends either. But no matter what you’re going through or what you’ve done, Jesus still chooses to be your friend and he is loyal to you because he loves you.

Jesus. He didn’t need to wait for Peter to deny him to determine whether or not he would be Peter’s friend, because Jesus already knew what Peter was going to do. Jesus knows everything about you, and there is nothing that could ever cause him to turn his back on you. Jesus, he came into this world to be with you. He lived a perfect life, free from sin, and then died on a cross for your sin so that you wouldn’t have to. And then he rose from the dead to prove to you that he would never leave you.

Yes, it’s hard when we have friends that don’t always have our backs. But Jesus does. And you have a true friend in Jesus. A friend who loves you. A friend who is loyal to you. And a friend who forgives you. Amen.

Matthew 26:66

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When I was a young child, one of the rules that we had in my parent’s house was thou shalt not use bad words. Now the punishment for being caught using bad words was having our mouth washed out with soap. Now, I don’t remember every single inappropriate word that I got caught using, but I do still remember what that yellow dial bar of soap tastes like. It’s disgusting.

The punishment fit the crime. We had a dirty mouth and we needed it to be cleaned. Jesus in our text is accused of a crime. Our text reads.

“What do you think?” They answered, “He is deserving of death!” (Matthew 26:66)

Jesus is crime according to the chief priests and the Sanhedrin was blasphemy. They accused Jesus of bad mouthing God and in this particular case, badmouthing God by claiming to be God. In the Old Testament, crimes of blasphemy were punishable by death. (Leviticus 24:16) The irony of there accusation here is that Jesus wasn’t guilty of blasphemy, but they were guilty of blasphemy.

Jesus hadn’t lied. He is the Christ, the Son of God. He always loved God perfectly. He never took his name in vain. The chief priests and the members of the Sanhedrin, on the other hand, were openly insulting, mocking and hitting Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They were blaspheming like nobody’s business. For their crimes. They were guilty of death. Just as you are for your crimes. Think of the last time you took God’s name in vain. Over the last time were you have not borne the name Christian properly. Have you cursed? Sworn? Lied? Deceived? You are guilty of blasphemy. You’re guilty of death.

It is because of your blasphemy and sins that Jesus came into this world. He took your verdict of guilty for himself so that you would receive the verdict of innocent. Even though Jesus was innocent, he took your title of blasphemy and gave you his title of Child of God. Though you were worthy of death for your sins. Jesus took that death in your place. So you would be declared forgiven, for Jesus sake. We see God’s stamp of approval in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he was accepting Jesus’ death in your place. Your sins are forgiven for Jesus sake. Amen.