ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 11, 2013)

he Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-53



"Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him ... 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'"
(LUKE 24:31-32)

Don't we often miss seeing the Christ who is right next to us? We neglect to walk with Him, our faces are downcast, and we overlook that the risen Jesus is already near. We are taken aback that the first disciples and the remaining Apostles failed to accept the fact that the stone was rolled away, that the grave clothes were empty, and the tomb was vacant. But the truth that Christ is risen often escapes us also. We forget that Jesus still walks with us. The remarkable teaching from our risen Lord often fails to penetrate our minds.

Twice in the final chapter of Luke's gospel, Jesus shares with His disciples - heading on the road to Emmaus and again back in Jerusalem - that ... "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms." All the Hebrew Bible and now the completed cannon of 66 books, Old and New, speak and point to the risen Savior. The entire Bible is all about Him! From the beginning pages to the very end, Jesus has been right there all along.

INSIGHT
MAY OUR MINDS BE OPENED AND OUR HEARTS STIRRED THIS RESURRECTION SUNDAY.

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Deuteronomy 21-22
Psalm 90
Acts 14

uke 24:13-53
New International Version (NIV)
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them,“This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations,beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension of Jesus
50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 24:13 Or about 11 kilometers


THE LAMB OF GOD
with Darrell Johnson

Do you know the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? This weekend we celebrate the risen Christ who offers forgiveness on the basis of his own sacrificial death for our sins.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 10, 2013)

The Tomb is Empty

Luke 24:1-12


"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."
(LUKE 24:2-3)

It is Saturday in Jerusalem. There is a hush over the city as Jews observe the day of rest. Commerce ceases, shops are shuttered and trucks don't rumble. It reminds me of the day before the first Easter, when all was quiet, and the disciples were in mourning, with no hope for the future.

Thanks to the account of the Gospels, we today know the outcome. There were miracles over the prior three days, sudden darkness in daytime, an earthquake, tombs opening, the dead walking. Astounding though those things were, still none of it compared to the grand miracle to come on Easter Sunday.

Because of that Miracle we have the personal gladness of realizing our Messiah lives and reigns and that we are forgiven. We are new creations in Christ. His dominion reigns inside of us and yet extends over all His creation. Our risen Lord no longer hangs on the cross, and His body no longer rests in the tomb outside Jerusalem. We serve a risen Lord who conquered the grave! There is no other god who could claim or prove that.

INSIGHT
ONE DAY HE WILL RETURN AGAIN. MARANATHA, COME QUICKLY, LORD JESUS! ARE YOU READY?

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Deuteronomy 19-20
Psalm 89
Acts 13

Luke 24:1-12
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Has Risen
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.


THE LAMB OF GOD
with Darrell Johnson

Do you know the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? This weekend we celebrate the risen Christ who offers forgiveness on the basis of his own sacrificial death for our sins.

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 9, 2013)

Good Friday

Matthew 27:27-56


"...we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body..."
(HEBREWS 10:19-20)

It is ugly; it is the darkest day in history. And yet we call it Good Friday. Watching Mel Gibson's movie was the closest I ever came to understanding the grisly suffering of the cross, but even the best Hollywood can put forward doesn't do the Passion justice. Walking in the very places Jesus may have stepped on His way to His death stirs wonder and awe in me, but I still cannot come close to knowing what it really was like.

Jesus died from cruel and unusual punishment. He died for me. He took on my sins and paid what I could never pay. He spilled His blood to make me pure and acceptable in His sight. The cross is the pivotal moment in history. The sky darkened, the earth quaked, and Jesus declared with His final breath, "It is finished."

Christ has conquered, and if we have made our way to the foot of the cross, we can be so thankful for that terrible Good Friday. Jesus came to this earth to seek and save the lost, the rebels, the sinners - the people like me. Praise be to God for Good Friday!


INSIGHT
FATHER, KEEP ME NEAR THE CROSS. THIS IS WHERE MY SIN WAS FORGIVEN, MY BURDENS ARE LIFTED, AND WHERE JESUS DRAWS NEAR.

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Deuteronomy 17-18
Psalm 88
Acts 11-12

Matthew 27:27-56
New International Version (NIV)
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 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. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b]
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[c] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,[d] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 27:46 Some manuscripts Eloi, Eloi
b. Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:1
c. Matthew 27:53 Or tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they
d. Matthew 27:56 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph

THE LAMB OF GOD [PART 5]

with Darrell Johnson

Do you know the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? This weekend we will celebrate the risen Christ who offers forgiveness on the basis of his own sacrificial death for our sins. 

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 8, 2013)

Christian: Little Christs

John 13


"'Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.'"
(JOHN 15:4)

In the Essene section of what was old Jerusalem, I visited a large house that would have belonged to a wealthy first century family. Tradition says it was the home of John Mark's mother and possibly the site of the Last Supper. Whether it was or not, there is a lengthy account in John 13 of what happened that last night before Jesus died.

According to John, Jesus washed His disciples' feet and then told them to do as He had done for them. He made it clear that being a Christian means not only believing in Him but also following His example. It was later in Antioch that His followers were first called Christians or "little Christs."

But how can we be like Christ? How can we follow His example? That night in the upper room Jesus gave us the answer. He promised to send the Spirit to live with us and in us. It's as if we were branches connected to Him, the vine. As we abide in Him, enduring through everything that would seek to tear us away from Him, we will bear the fruit of Jesus' life in us.

INSIGHT
LORD, MAY THOSE OF US WHO BEAR THE NAME "CHRISTIAN" TRULY BE "LITTLE CHRISTS" AS WE HUMBLE OURSELVES AND SERVE EACH OTHER.

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Deuteronomy 11-12
Psalm 85
Acts 8


THE LAMB OF GOD [PART 2]
with Darrell Johnson

Who is Jesus? The Bible calls him "The Lamb of God." On the cross the world's sin takes away the Lamb. And then in the brilliant reverse of Gospel, the Lamb takes away the sin of the world!

ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 8, 2013)

Location Uncertainty

John 19:38-42



"... you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay."
(PSALM 16:10)

A common complaint on a tour of Israel is about how often we don't know the exact spot things took place. We aren't even certain where Jesus was crucified or buried or resurrected.

The "traditional" Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Christian Quarter was built where Constantine's mother, Queen Helena, discovered three wooden crosses. But then, in 1883, General Charles Gordon of the British Army was convinced the traditional site did not match John's account that Jesus was crucified outside the city walls. On one of his frequent explorations, he found a burial tomb cut out of the rock, an ancient winepress and cistern signifying a garden from the first century, and a nearby outcrop known historically as the "Place of the Skull" (Golgotha in Aramaic).

Today, the place is known as the Garden Tomb, and while the British ministry overseeing the property in the Arab section of Jerusalem claims no certainty, it is a place to meditate and take communion and remember, "He is not here, he is risen indeed."

INSIGHT
TODAY THE RISEN CHRIST IS WITH YOU AND WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU.

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Deuteronomy 9-10
Psalm 84
Acts 7

John 19:38-42
New International Version (NIV)
The Burial of Jesus
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[a] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Footnotes:
a. John 19:39 Or about 34 kilograms

John 13
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned[a] against me.’[b]
19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him,[c] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
Footnotes:
a. John 13:18 Greek has lifted up his heel
b. John 13:18 Psalm 41:9
c. John 13:32 Many early manuscripts do not have If God is glorified in him.