The Penitent Thief | Holy Week 2023

Day 6: The Penitent Thief

Devotional by Jeremy Hamblen

Read Luke 23:32-43

Luke 23:32-43

³²Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. ³³And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. ³⁵And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” ³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine ³⁷and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”³⁹One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴²And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Devotional

If there’s one thing we know in Houston, it’s disaster. Hurricanes, floods, ice storms, and heatwaves – each season comes with its own slot on the roulette wheel of catastrophe. If you’ve ever done relief work in these situations, you know there’s an uncomfortable strangeness to the frozen nature of time at ground zero: people still in the clothes they wore to bed, dishes in the sink, and personal effects indiscriminately strewn about. Still, no one apologizes for the mess, and no one makes mention of it – it’s just the nature of rescue. When disaster strikes, we come just as we are.

The thieves on the cross were headed for disaster. Like Jesus, these violent robbers had been beaten, nailed to a wooden beam, and hung in public humiliation. This was only the beginning of their slow march towards a protracted death by asphyxiation – the real cruelty of the infamous Roman crucifixion. Staring down the inevitable outcome of their just desserts, each breath shallower than the last, one of the thieves noticed…something.

The Man on the middle cross had stuck out since sunrise. His demeanor was different, the measure of brutality He received was different, and the case against Him especially seemed different. But here He was, praying for their forgiveness, even as the abuse continued to pile up. It was then, suddenly, miraculously, that one thief turned penitent, proclaiming the innocence of Jesus, admitting his own guilt, and calling out the guilt of others. Naked and ashamed before the perfect Lamb, with nothing to bring and no time to make right, his unvarnished request was his profession of faith.

He came just as he was.

It’s easy to try and add to the Gospel because God calls us to so much more, but it all starts and ends with faith. We don’t need to try to clean ourselves before collapsing into His mercy because it is only by His mercy that we are cleansed, and it is offered to us on mercifully simple terms: grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. That’s all the penitent thief needed on the cross, and because of the cross, that’s all Christ requires of us, no matter how far we are, and no matter how late we feel. All we have to do is come, just as we are.

“Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

Because Thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!”

Questions

1. Anyone can make a promise, but Jesus’ words, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise,” carried significant meaning because of His authority. In fact, His authority was a primary reason He was on the cross (He taught as one with authority, acted as one with authority, and claimed to be a King). How can Christ’s authority over our lives and our world bring us comfort and joy?

Many people try to use the story of the penitent thief as a reason they can “beat the system” by waiting until their deathbed to repent and turn to Jesus. What would you say to someone to caution them against this outlook?
The penitent thief was Jesus’ last companion on earth, crucified together at a conversational distance. The thief defended Him in His presence, and then petitioned His forgiveness directly. Jesus responded in kind. Even in that brief and final encounter, the thief’s rescue was about a relationship – just between the two of them. What can this tell us about the importance of our relationship with Jesus in our everyday lives?

Watch This

Enjoy this extremely uplifting Gospel presentation by folksy-Scottish preacher Alistair Begg who imagines the scene in Heaven upon the entry of the penitent thief.

Pilate | Holy Week 2023

Day 5: Pilate

Devotional by Mark Lanier

Read John 18:37-38a

John 18:37-38a

³⁷Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “you say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

Devotional

Some people have a knack for the obvious. Others can have something staring them in the face and miss it all together. I put Pilate in the “others” category.

Pilate was going through his routine day, having come 75 miles from his home base in Caesarea into Jerusalem to deal with administrative matters. As the procurator over the region, Pilate was in charge of keeping the peace and administering the judgement of Rome.

Dealing with Jesus wasn’t on Pilate’s agenda. Jesus was an issue that had just come up. Certain Jewish authorities were quite upset over Jesus, and they wanted Pilate to deal with him. The easiest way was to paint Jesus as one leading a rebellion, one claiming to be a king in opposition to Rome and Caesar. This accusation elevated Jesus to a status requiring Pilate’s personal attention.

Pilate questioned Jesus, “Are you really claiming to be a king?” Jesus replied, “Those are your words. I came into the world to bear witness to the truth.” Jesus added that anyone, regardless of status or placement in the Roman Empire, who would hear and listen to Jesus, would be part of the truth.

Here was Pilate’s big moment. Pilate had a one-on-one encounter with the Son of God. Pilate had an opportunity to ask the question that most atheists demand – “If God is real, have him appear for me and tell me!” Yet Pilate blew it. He couldn’t see the truth that was standing right before him. With a chance to dialogue with God, to get life right, to find forgiveness, to have a relationship with God fully restored, to do an about face and find faith, with all of those chances and more, Pilate missed it. Pilate turned the opportunity into a humdrum, dismissive, almost cynical reply: “What is truth?”

Truth was staring Pilate in the face, and he did nothing with it. He was too blind to see what was right in front of him. Am I?

Questions

Jesus stands before me in this passage today. Do I see Him for who He is?
Do I seize this moment to address Him as God or do I dismiss Him too?

Pray This

Lord, I pray that my encounters with You would lead to a more intimate and personal relationship with You. Help me to seek Lord, I embrace You today as my Lord, my God and the truth I need in my life. Guide me for Your name’s sake. In Jesus name, amen.

Devotional, Holy Week 2023

Simon of Cyrene | Holy Week 2023

Day 4: Simon of Cyrene

Devotional by Alex Jones

Read Luke 23:26

Luke 23:26

“And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.”

Devotional

Life is full of interruptions. On a daily basis, we face decisions, situations, and circumstances that we don’t expect. We can all relate to feeling flustered or thrown off when our life doesn’t happen according to plan. As Christians, we are reminded throughout Scripture that we are not in control—we may plan our way, but God establishes our steps. Although the Bible is clear that we should expect the unexpected, we still sometimes find ourselves reluctant to the ways of God. We so often forget that our all-powerful God is on the throne intentionally directing our path. God can use even the seemingly mundane to change our lives. This was just the case for a man named Simon from Cyrene.

On his journey to Jerusalem for Passover, Simon was interrupted by Roman soldiers who seized him and commanded him to carry the cross of Jesus. This abrupt burden placed on Simon was surely frustrating and inconvenient but ultimately led to an intimate encounter with Jesus. As Simon picked up the blood-stained cross, he experienced the presence of the Son of God. He heard the words of Jesus as he spoke truth to the crowd who followed him. He experienced Jesus’ humility as Jesus surrendered Himself to God’s will. Most importantly, we are told that Simon followed behind Jesus. Simon was the first to live out the calling to “take up his cross” and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24-26). Simon walked away from his encounter with Jesus knowing Him more deeply and following Him more closely.

Simon’s encounter led to deeper intimacy with his Creator. In the same way, when we are faced with unexpected interruptions, we may also be just one moment away from knowing God more deeply. His ways are not our ways as He is intentionally working through every area of our lives. The same God who ordained Simon’s steps continues to go before each of us. No matter the difficulty or burden placed on us, Jesus promises that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. So, in the midst of your next frustrating interruption, seek to understand how God may be at work in you. We may not be able to control our circumstances, but we can control our response.

Questions

1. When you feel interrupted or inconvenienced, what is your natural response? What steps can you take to trust God in those moments?

2. How are you following Jesus daily?

3. What areas of your life hinder you from following him fully?

Pray This

Lord, I pray that my encounters with You would lead to a more intimate and personal relationship with You. Help me to seek You regardless of my burdens. As I deny myself and follow You, I will trust and believe that Your way is better. May I draw near to You as You draw near to me. Lead me to look more like You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Devotional, Holy Week 2023

Judas Iscariot | Holy Week 2023

Day 3: Judas Iscariot

Devotional by Shauna Wallace

Read Matthew 26:46-56

Matthew 26:46-56

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

^{⁴⁶Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” ⁴⁷While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” ⁴⁹And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. ⁵⁰Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.”Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. ⁵¹And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁵²Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. ⁵³Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” ⁵⁵At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. ⁵⁶But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.}

Devotional

Judas makes me uncomfortable. I want to peg his flaw as blindness to his atrocity, because how does a disciple, one of the twelve, a friend who had a seat at the table with Jesus and managed the ministry’s money, become memorialized as Jesus’ betrayer?

For three years, he walked with Jesus and saw a lot of the things he did. When he and his armed cohort of Jesus’ religious enemies approached Jesus in the Garden—a place Judas knew, “for Jesus often met there with his disciples” (John 18:2)—he greeted Jesus as Rabbi, then planted the kiss of death on Jesus’ face. It was the sign that sealed the deal he’d already made with the devil (see John 13:2 and 27), and it betrayed the truth about him.

That’s what betrayals do. They reveal the truth, and they start long before the acts that make them known. They start with our affections.

Judas may have looked the part of a Jesus follower, but he was an indignant thief who didn’t care about the poor (see Matthew 22:8 and John 12:4-6). He dipped his hand in the money bag long before he dipped it in the bowl with Jesus at the Last Supper, the very thing Jesus used to identify him as “My betrayer” (Matthew 26:46). Judas feared man and loved money, affections we may deem relatively harmless, along with ours. But here’s another truth: seemingly harmless affections eventually lead to painful betrayals.

Maybe you don’t struggle with fear of man or love of money. I do. Maybe you are honest and care for the poor. I’m not always great at this. Regardless of what may divide our loyalty to Jesus, we can all learn from Judas and from Jesus’ sobering words to His disciples after the Lord’s Supper just prior to the Garden scene: “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’” (Matthew 26:31).

All fall away and go astray to our own way (see Isaiah 53:6).

They did.

We do.

When Judas called Jesus, “Rabbi” (or teacher), he left out, “Lord”. Judas’ kiss was the outward evidence of his inward loyalty to another master. Jesus may be a lot of things to us. If He is Lord, He desires and deserves to be our single affection. Lord of all.

Questions

Is Jesus your Lord and master—is He Lord of all the affections of your heart?
What affections trump your allegiance to Christ, even in ways the devil wants you to consider harmless?
By the power of the Holy Spirit, what is one way you could surrender one of your divided affections to Jesus today?

Pray This

Lord, I am humbled by Judas and how alike we are. I am of all who fall away, and when my affections pledge allegiance to the world and its things, I am vulnerable to painful betrayals. Just like Judas. It could have been me who planted a kiss on Jesus’ face while I kicked up my heel against Him. But by Your grace, you saved me, redeemed me, and started a work in me that You are faithful to finish to the end. Please forgive me for the ways I have betrayed You or harmed others, and help me as I forgive those whose divided affections have hurt me. Lord, my heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Please forgive me for the wickedness in my own heart and accept the words of David in Psalm 19:12-13 as the cry of my heart today:

Devotional, Holy Week 2023

Jesus in the Garden | Holy Week 2023

Day 2: Jesus in the Garden

Devotional by Durell Comedy

Read Matthew 26:36-46

Matthew 26:36-46

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

³⁶Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” ³⁹And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ⁴⁰And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? ⁴¹Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴²Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. ⁴⁵Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Devotional

I’m not the only person who’s had a hard time being vulnerable. Many of us find it challenging to be our truest selves even when surrounded by friends and family, those who know us best. Truth is, I have a constant fear of everyone (my wife included – haha) seeing me surrender to my frailty. They must ONLY see that I have it “all together” and that nothing will cause me to unravel. But let’s be real, how sustainable is this mindset? If we don’t express our fears, worries, and anxieties to someone, it’s only a matter of time before those issues gain control over us. In today’s reading, we get to walk alongside Christ during one of the most difficult moments in His life, where he, too, struggled to let even His own disciples know the heaviness of His heart.

After Jesus and His disciples finished having “The Last Supper” in the upper room together, they walked to the place called Gethsemane to pray and seek the Father. Jesus took James, John, and Peter aside and began to express the depth of the emotional anguish He was experiencing. He encouraged them to watch and pray with Him. What a beautiful picture of community and reminder to us that if the perfect Savior needed others’ prayers and support during challenging seasons, we do all the more. But Christ didn’t only share with His chosen disciples. He continued this confession with His Father, pleading for another path to walk or another cup to drink. Yet, his request was immediately bound in submission with the famous words “Not my will but Your will be done” (v. 39). This is an incredible demonstration of a Christ-like prayer: that it is acceptable to ask anything of and from our Father, knowing that His answer to us might be “no,” yet instantly committing to obeying God and His plan.

After Jesus returned from being alone and found His friends sleeping instead of praying (some friends, huh?), He isolated Himself again and prayed the exact same prayer to God twice more.

Repeatedly going to God in prayer shows us two things:

· Prayer is a weapon to battle temptation (see James 5:16)

· It shows our constant need to release our burdens to God (see Matt. 11:28-29).

Questions

1. When was the last time you were completely transparent with the Lord in prayer, allowing your emotions to help communicate a deep concern in your life?

2. Have you found others that you can be just as vulnerable with and that you can confide in on a regular basis?

3. When was a time in your life where you were obedient to God regardless of feelings or circumstances?

Pray This

Dear Lord, I’m grateful for the example of our Savior Jesus, who demonstrated obedience even unto death. Because of that death and resurrection, I have new and abundant life in You! Now help me God, by the power of Your Spirit, to live with a posture of immediate obedience to Your will and plan for my life. Even when I find myself in the struggle and pain of surrender, remind me that on the other side of obedience is joy and peace. I pray that I would constantly run to You with every one of my cares, knowing that You care for me. Surround me with those who will comfort and challenge me in Your ways and Your truth. I love You, God, not just with my words or emotions, but with and in every decision I make. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Devotional, Holy Week 2023

The Crowd | Holy Week 2023

Day 1: The Crowd

Devotional by Jarrett Stephens

Read Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew 21:1-11

The Triumphal Entry

21 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ⁴This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁵“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” ¹⁰And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Devotional

The setting of this passage is Passover. In five short days, Jesus will offer up His life for the sins of the world. One can imagine how packed the city of Jerusalem was, lined with pilgrims that had traveled from all over to celebrate God’s deliverance of His people from the bondage and slavery of Egypt all those years ago.

The ministry of Jesus is at its climax. He is known for His preaching and performing of miracles, one of the latest being raising a man named Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is no longer a secret to the authorities wishing to kill Him, or in this case, the crowds wishing to crown Him. The day that Jesus enters Jerusalem, He is fulfilling a prophecy that had been given by Zechariah 500 years prior. The prophecy spoke of Israel’s coming king who would ride into Jerusalem humbly on a donkey (Zech. 9:9).

The irony is hard to miss. A king should be riding on a horse, not a donkey. A king should come in power, not lowly and humble. In this, we see that Jesus is a different kind of king. He is not at all what the people expected.

Still, they went “before him,” laying palm branches in front of Him, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9).

The word, “Hosanna” means “save now” or “please save us.” The crowds were repeating a psalm (118:25-26) they believed was being fulfilled right before their very eyes. What is significant about the text we are looking at today is not so much the crowd’s response to Jesus, it was Jesus’ response to the crowds – He received their veneration and worship.

Think about that! Not one time does Jesus tell this crowd to stop hailing Him as Israel’s king. We don’t read any hint of Jesus telling the crowd to settle down or warning them that things are getting out of hand. Luke’s account of this scene informs us that some Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke the crowds that were gathered worshiping Him (Luke 19:39-40). But instead, Jesus let them continue. He was worthy of their worship and therefore accepted their worship.

Jesus is worthy of our worship. The question is, will we be like the crowd and give Him the worship that is due His name?

Questions

1. Sometimes God does not operate in a way that we understand. Are you trusting the Lord in the circumstances of life even when it doesn’t seem to make sense?

2. Why do you think it was so easy for the Pharisees to be frustrated with Jesus?

3. Think about and list three to five reasons Jesus is worthy of your worship.

Pray This

“Father, help me to worship You as You deserve to be worshiped. You are worthy, and I praise Your name. Thank You for going into Jerusalem that day fully knowing what awaited You. Thank You for laying down Your life for my sins and rising again to give me victory and hope in life and in death. May I be like the crowds that day on Passover that welcomed You in and worshiped You out loud. Amen.”

Devotional, The Essential Jesus

The Essential Jesus-Day 100

Thank you for joining us on this 100-day journey through the Bible. We’re at the finish line!

Now that we’re through day 100, we’ll be pushing pause on daily emails from CFBC, but we highly encourage you to ask the Lord where he wants you to go next in His Word. Should we begin a new plan in the future, you will be notified via email. God bless.

Luke 9:18-27

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

¹⁸Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁹And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” ²⁰Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

Jesus Foretells His Death

²¹And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, ²²saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²³And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Devotional, The Essential Jesus

The Essential Jesus-Day 99

Thank you for joining us on this 100-day journey through the Bible. We’re almost to the finish line!

Once we get through day 100, we’ll be pushing pause on daily emails from CFBC, but we highly encourage you to ask the Lord where he wants you to go next in His Word. Should we begin a new plan in the future, you will be notified via email. God bless.

Acts 9:1-19

The Conversion of Saul

9 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. ⁴And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ⁵And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” ⁷The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹²and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ¹⁷So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; ¹⁹and taking food, he was strengthened.

Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

Devotional, The Essential Jesus

The Essential Jesus-Day 98

Thank you for joining us on this 100-day journey through the Bible. We’re almost to the finish line!

John 4:1-42

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John ²(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), ³he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. ⁴And he had to pass through Samaria. ⁵So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

⁷A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” ⁸(For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) ⁹The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¹⁰Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹²Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” ¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” ¹⁵The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” ¹⁷The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; ¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” ¹⁹The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” ²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. ²⁴God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

²⁷Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” ²⁸So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ²⁹“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” ³⁰They went out of the town and were coming to him.

³¹Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” ³²But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. ³⁵Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. ³⁶Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. ³⁷For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

³⁹Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” ⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. ⁴¹And many more believed because of his word. ⁴²They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Devotional, The Essential Jesus

The Essential Jesus-Day 97

John 3:1-21

You Must Be Born Again

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ²This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God So Loved the World

¹⁶“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”