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December 11 - December 26, 2020
A dozen men under the power of the Holy Spirit are a more potent force than the teeming masses whose initial enthusiasm for Jesus was apparently provoked by little more than sheer curiosity.
That is why the Lord didn't choose one recognized religious leader. He chose instead men who were not theologically trained—fishermen, a tax collector, and other common men.
"He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." It was His habit to slip away in solitude to talk to His Father. He was always under pressure from the massive multitudes when He was in the towns and villages of Galilee. The
His own Son (v. 44). Jesus had also drawn them to Himself in particular. He told them, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:16).
So when He publicly appointed twelve men to be His apostles, the significance of that number was loud and clear. The apostles represented a whole new Israel, under the new covenant. And their appointment—bypassing the religious establishment of official Judaism—signified a message of judgment against national Israel.
The Greek verb apostello means "to send out." The noun form, apostolos, means "one who is sent." The English word apostle is a transliteration, rather than a translation, of the Greek word. The apostles were "sent ones." But they were not mere messengers.The Greek word for "messenger" was angelos, from which we get our word "angel." An apostolos was something more significant than a courier or a herald; apostolos conveyed the idea of an ambassador, a delegate, an official representative.
that first-century Jewish culture, the shaliah was an official representative of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of Israel. A shaliah exercised the full rights of the Sanhedrin. He spoke for them, and when he spoke, he spoke with their authority. He was owed the same respect and deference as the council itself. But he never delivered his own message; his task was to deliver the message of the group whom he represented. The office of a shaliah was well known.
first, they go on short-term mission assignments, but they keep coming back. But when He leaves to return to the Father, they will go out for good on their own. There's a clear progression in their training and entry into full-time ministry.
The Greek text says people perceived that they were "aggramatoi . . . idiotai"—literally, "illiterate ignoramuses." And that was true from a worldly viewpoint. But it was obvious that they had been with Jesus.
young man needed to be more fierce and competitive. He needed to lose his timidity. So Lasorda gave him a nickname that was exactly the opposite of his personality: "Bulldog." Over the years, that is exactly what Orel Hershiser became—one of the most tenacious competitors who ever took the mound in the major leagues.
When you're looking for a leader, you want someone who asks lots of questions. People who are not inquisitive simply don't make good leaders. Curiosity is crucial to leadership. People who are content with what they don't know, happy to remain ignorant about what they don't understand, complacent about what they haven't analyzed, and comfortable living with problems they haven't solved—such people cannot lead. Leaders need to have an insatiable curiosity. They need to be people who are hungry to find answers. Knowledge is power. Whoever has the information has the lead. If you want to find a
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Another necessary ingredient is initiative. If a man is wired for leadership, he will have drive, ambition, and energy. A true leader must be the kind of person who makes things happen. He is a starter. Notice that Peter not only asked questions; he was also usually the first one to answer any question posed by Christ. He often charged right in where angels fear to tread.
That's the sign of a true leader. When almost everyone else bailed out, he tried to stay as close to his Lord as he could get. He wasn't the kind of leader who is content to send messages to the troops from afar. He had a passion to be personally involved, so he is always found close to the heart of the action.
"Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples" (v. 10). Luke reveals that this was actually an enormous banquet that Matthew himself held at his own house in Jesus' honor. It seems he invited a large number of his fellow tax collectors and various other kinds of scoundrels and social outcasts to meet Jesus.
Of course, Jesus, with His supernatural knowledge, knew exactly when Lazarus died. That is why He waited. "Then after this He said to the disciples, 'Let us go to Judea again'"
They frankly did not want to go back to Jerusalem. The ministry in the wilderness was phenomenal. In Jerusalem they all risked being stoned. Now was not a good time for a visit to Bethany, which was virtually within sight of the temple, where Jesus' bitterest enemies had their headquarters.
In other words, there was no need for Him to skulk around like a common criminal. He was determined to do His work in the bright light of day, because that's what you do in order not to stumble. Those who were walking in darkness are the ones in danger of stumbling— particularly the religious leaders who were secretly looking for a way to kill Him.
'Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him'" (vv. 13—15).
"Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him'"
Thomas at least had the courage to be loyal, even in the face of his pessimism. It is much easier for an optimist to be loyal.
Second, Judas reminds us that no matter how sinful a person may be, no matter what treachery he or she may attempt against God, the purpose of God cannot be thwarted. Even the worst act of treachery works toward the fulfillment of the divine plan. God's sovereign plan cannot be overthrown even by the most cunning schemes of those who hate Him.
Zechariah 11:12—13 says, "They weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, 'Throw it to the potter'; that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter." Matthew 27:9—10 identifies that as another prophecy about Judas.
"This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it" (John 12:6). Of course, neither John nor any of the other
Because of Jesus' willingness to receive such lavish worship, Judas missed a prime opportunity to embezzle funds.
But Satan through some means suggested the plot, tempted Judas to do this thing, and planted the very seed of treachery in his heart. Judas's heart was so hostile to the truth and so filled with evil that Judas became a willing instrument of Satan himself.
Jesus was not about to have the first communion service with the devil and Judas present in the room. Get out.
Judas had been seeking an opportunity "to betray [Jesus] to them in the absence of the multitude" (emphasis added). He was a coward.
The "detachment of troops" was most likely a Roman cohort from the Antonio Fortress, adjacent to the temple.
His remorse was not the same as repentance, as subsequent events clearly show. He was sorry, not because he had sinned against Christ, but because his sin did not satisfy him the way he had hoped.
He was merely sorry because he did not like what he felt.
