May 2:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS REDEMPTION.
"When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."--Luke 21:28

When I was a young girl, we were blessed to have a good-sized backyard with several fruit trees in the city of Buenos Aires.  I eagerly awaited summer time, when I would be able to play with my friends and eat the delicious figs, avocados, and sweet grapes.  As an adult, I discovered that my anticipation of summer was actually a parable that Jesus told about His second coming.

During His ministry, Jesus prophesied things to come, both in their immediate future and in His second coming.  In the last days, there would be signs in the sun, moon, stars, and the sea (Luke 21:25-27).  Jesus mentioned two strikingly opposite responses to these signs: some would faint from fear of the things that are coming, yet Jesus admonishes us to straighten up and lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near.  Then He tells the parable of the trees and the summer: "Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things [attesting signs] happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near" (verses 30, 31).  When leaves appear on the trees, we start looking forward to summer!  Jesus exhorts us to choose faith over fear and to lift up our heads when we see the signs of His coming because our redemption is drawing near!  I find a calm assurance in the terms "Redeemer" and "redemption," because in the Old Testament (LXX) these terms related to the release of a person or property on payment of a ransom.  Redemption is the recovery of the human race through the high price that Jesus paid for us on the cross!  The ransom had been paid, and He is coming back to take us home!   Jesus said: "They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (verse 27).  Christ is coming back for us as a parent who paid the ransom for His kidnapped children and is coming to deliver them!  I am eagerly awaiting that blessed day!  In the meanwhile, choose faith over fear!  Our redemption is near!

My Response:_____________________________________________________________

May 1:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS COMING.
"They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."--Matthew 24:30

I was standing on the Mount of Olives, and the view virtually took my breath away.  There is a Jewish cemetery there, with thousands of tombs overlooking the temple.  Some scholars believe that the earliest burials there date back three thousand years.  Certainly, the cemetery was already there during the Second Temple period and the time of Jesus.  I find it fascinating that Jesus decided to deliver His discourse about His second coming and the end times from this place, overlooking the temple and this oldest and most important Jewish cemetery.

Jesus was on the Mount of Olives when His disciples came to ask Him about the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:1, 2), His coming, and the end of the age (verse 3).  The Mount of Olives is mentioned in a prophecy found in Zechariah 14:4: "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley."  Now Jesus is on the Mount of Olives, in front of this ancient cemetery, overlooking the magnificent temple, and he chooses this specific place to discuss the destruction of the temple and, most importantly, the signs and the event of His Coming.  At this time, the disciples were not able to distinguish between the two events; both probably seemed the same to them.  After mentioning persecution, wars, pseudo-prophets, et cetera, Jesus reveals how this age of pain will end with His second coming!  The Greek word for His coming is parousia; it is used three times in this discourse (Matthew 24:27, 37, 39) and not at all in the other Gospels.  Parousia became the blessed hope of Christians in all ages..  In the New Testament, the word "hope" is used in the sense of "assurance," not in the English sense of "I hope this happens" but with the certainty that it will happen.  When I visit my parents' tomb, I often imagine what that cemetery will look like on the morning of the resurrection, the day of Jesus' second coming.  I can't wait!  Jesus promised it, and therefore, it is a sure thing!

My Response:__________________________________________________________

April 30:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS RANSOM.
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."--Mark 10:45


I remember my anticipation as I walked into the classroom.  It was the first day of class with this New Testament professor.  But little did I know how this class, focused on the four Gospels, would change my life and my ministry.  Without introduction, the professor started to read: "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.  But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45).

HIs reading made a profound impact on my mind.  For some reason I had never paid much attention to the larger context of this key verse of the Gospel of Mark (10:45).  Jesus teaches his disciples that they should not be lording it over people.  His words came in response to an argument that broke among the disciples because James and John had been seeking the best positions in the upcoming kingdom, the nature of which they clearly did not understand.  These clueless disciples, guided by their selfish hearts, were prideful and power-hungry, yet Jesus, the tender loving Jesus, always showed them a better way by His own example.  On that particular day, the Master taught His followers that the way to the kingdom of God is radically different than the world's authority structure.  Servants are considered great, and slaves are counted as first.  And Jesus, God in the flesh, is not only our example but, most importantly, our Savior.  After three predictions of His death in this Gospel (8:31; 9:31; 10:33), Jesus clearly and unequivocally announces that He did not come to be served but to serve humanity.  And not only that!  He would give His life as a ransom for many!  Yes, we have been ransomed for the high price of the blood of the Son of God!  And the "many" includes you and me!  Now that our ransom has been paid, we are free to love and to serve.

My Response:________________________________________________________

April 29:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS SUFFERING.
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.--Mark 8:31

A pivot is a shaft or a pin on which something turns, but the word may also refer to a person, a thing, or a factor having a major or central role, function, or effect.*  Thus, we speak of pivotal moments, events, words, and decisions that change the course of our lives.  Today's devotional text represents a pivotal disclosure in the Gospel of Mark and in the history of redemption.

The first half of this Gospel highlights the authority of Jesus.  Everyone is asking: "Who is this?"  And the obvious answer, in light of His mighty works, is that Jesus is the authoritative Son of God, who has power over everything, including nature, demons, disease, and death.  From Mark 1:1 to 8:30 everyone is in awe of Jesus, because He is the awaited Christ who has come with power and might!  But then comes the pivotal verse that changes everything.  For the first time, Jesus discloses to His disciples the prophecy of His sufferings: He will rise again after three days (see Mark 8:31).  This is the first of three predictions of His death, which we call the passion predictions (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33).  This was the purpose for which He had come, and there it was, exposed for the world to see clearly for the first time.  This was the shocking news, the truth beyond logical comprehension: Jesus had come to die--not just to show love or power--but to suffer to the point of death.  He had come to be our Savior, and His death on our behalf becomes the pivotal event that changes the course of our lives as well.  He was the "Suffering Servant," prophesied in Isaiah 53.  Please place your name in the blank spaces.  "Surely he took up ------'s pain and bore ------'s suffering ....... But he was pierced for ------'s transgressions, he was crushed for ------'s iniquities; the punishment that brought ------ peace was on him, and by his wounds ------ is healed" (Isaiah 53:4, 5; NIV, author's paraphrase).  Yes!  You are loved that much!

My Response:_____________________________________________________________

April 28:  Believing His Salvation

HIS DECLARATION.
"I tell you, this man [the tax collector] went to his house justified rather than the other."--Luke 18:14

What makes us fit for the kingdom of God?  We all want to qualify, but what does that mean?  Are we supposed to offer a resume as for a job?  When I arrived in the United States thirty-five years ago, I applied for a job, and they tested my typewriting skills.  I was feeling pretty comfortable until I started typing and realized that his was an electric typewriter, which I had never used.  Instead of typing one letter with a push of a key, I would get ten!  It was a disaster.  Do you ever feel like that when thinking about your qualifications for the kingdom?


Jesus told a story about this (Luke 18:9-14).  Two men came to the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.  The Pharisee was thankful, mainly for his own deeds and not so much for God's: "God, I thank You that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector" (verse 11).  He fasted twice a week and paid tithes for everything (verse 12).  He was a hard-praying Sabbath-keeping, always grateful, church-going person; in other words, he was a great example.  On the other hand, the tax collector stood some distance away.  He didn't have a list of good stuff he was proud of or of bad stuff he avoided, to present.  He couldn't even look up to heaven; instead, he beat his chest and said, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" (verse 13).  And then Jesus makes a startling declaration, turning their world upside down (or is it right side up?); "This man [the tax collector] went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted" (verse 14).  The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified!  How is this possible?  Well, the question is not What but rather Who qualifies us for the heavenly kingdom.  Jesus does.  We are justified by grace through faith in His perfect life and death on our behalf.  Paul summarized it well: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23, 24).

My Response:________________________________________________________

April 27:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS ACCURACY.
[He] was restored, and began to see everything clearly.--Mark 8:25

In my teens, I experienced a strange condition: for no apparent reason my pupil would dilate, causing blurry vision that would last for several hours.  I had a brain scan to find out if I had a tumor.  I went to an ophthalmological institute, where they thoroughly studied my eyes but could not find anything wrong.  Years later I discovered that if my asthma medication got on my hands, and if I happened to rub my eyes, it caused my pupils to dilate!

Mark Chronicles an unusual miracle not recorded by any other Gospel writer.  It is a two-step enacted teaching used to introduce the greatest revelation of all time.  A blind man was brought to Jesus, and after laying His hands on him, Jesus asked him: "Do you see anything?" (Mark 8:23).  The man could see something, but not clearly: "I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around" (verse 24).  Through His miracles, Jesus did  not just offer physical healing but also taught deeper spiritual truths.  Interestingly, right after this two-step miracle, the true reality of Jesus' identity and mission is revealed, also in two steps.  This miracle contains three unparalleled elements.  First, Jesus asks the blind man about the effectiveness of the healing.  Second, the blind man responds saying that he can see, but not accurately.  Third, Jesus lays hands on him for a second time, and from then on, the formerly blind man can see clearly.  In the section that follows (Mark 8:27-31), the disciples say that many think that Jesus is a prophet, and that they believe He is the Messiah.  But their answer is like the sight of "trees walking."  It was a limited understanding and not yet clear sight.  Jesus went on to reveal that He was also the suffering Son of Man, who would be killed and rise three days later (verse 31).  Just like them, when we accept the necessity of His death, we start seeing Jesus accurately; His grace becomes real to us.  Let's ask God for a daily revelation of His infinite love, manifested at the cross, that we may see clearly!

My Response:__________________________________________________________________

April 26:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS CREDENTIALS.
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me."--John 5:39


F.F. Bruce's book cover reads: "In Jesus the promise is confirmed, the covenant is renewed, the prophecies are fulfilled, the law is vindicated, salvation is brought near, sacred history has reached its climax, the perfect sacrifice has been offered and accepted, the great priest over the household of God has taken his seat at God's right hand, the Prophet like Moses has been raised up, the Son of David reigns, the kingdom of God has been inaugurated." *


God does not ask us to believe without evidence.  Jesus Himself referred to the different witnesses that testified of Him: John, the forerunner; Jesus' own miraculous works; the Father's testimony; and finally, the witness of the Scriptures (John 5:31-47).  Jesus unequivocally explained that these (the Old Testament) authenticated His identity and mission.  The sad part was that while the Jewish leaders were meticulous students of the Scriptures, they rejected Jesus.  They kept the Ten Commandments, observed the Sabbath, prayed, tithed, et cetera, but they dismissed Jesus! (see verses 45-47).  Interpreting all the Scriptures (the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms) in light of Jesus and His sacrifice has eternal consequences!  "The sacred writings...give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15).  The Bible points us to Jesus as our only Hope, Assurance, Substitute, Sacrifice, High Priest, King, Lord, and Savior.  Jesus is our All in all.  It is only through Him that we have eternal life!  Every sermon and Bible study should be centered at the cross of Jesus.  "The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster.  In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary.  I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption,--the Son of God uplifted on the cross.  This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers." +

My Response:__________________________________________________________
* F.F. Bruce, New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1994), book jacket text.
+ Ellen G. White, Gospel Workers (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1915), 315; emphasis added.

April 25:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS VASTNESS.
"For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."--Luke 2:30-32

When I was twelve years old, my family was about to move to the United States for one year in order for my dad to complete his graduate studies.  In preparation for this new life, I got baptized, sealing my commitment to Jesus the day before our departure.  When we made it to Michigan, I was delighted to see the ground covered with snow!  But when school began, I realized that having come from another country, I was different and therefore not very popular and not always accepted by my peers.  It was painful.

This was the experience of many new Christians in the first century.  When the Gentiles began to accept the gospel, they found out that many of the Jewish Christians were not too welcoming of their new fellow believers.  Luke, who penned the most words of all writers of the New Testament, is careful to emphasize that the salvation that Jesus offers has a vast reach for all peoples, regardless of any cultural barriers.  In his Gospel, Luke includes several unique stories that highlight the inclusivity of God's salvation through Christ.  One of these stories is about Simeon, a godly man to whom the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not die without having seen the Lord's Anointed (Luke 2:26).  When Simeon saw Baby Jesus, he sang a song that is named after its first words in Latin: "Nunc Dimittis" (see Luke 2:29-32).  This was a shocking song for a Jewish audience, because it spoke about the salvation offered to both Gentiles and Jews.  Today, the followers of Christ are called to be the champions for the elimination of barriers between different groups of people.  At the foot of the cross we are all on level ground--all equally undeserving yet saved by the grace of God.  Isaiah prophesied about the amplitude of God's salvation:
            Enlarge the place of your tent;
            Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings...
            Lengthen your cords
            And strengthen your pegs.
            For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left
            (Isaiah 54:2, 3).

My Response:___________________________________________________________

April 24:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS LIBERATION.
And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him [Jesus]...to present Him to the Lord.--Luke 2:22

When in Egypt, I spent almost two weeks navigating the Nile river.  I was dumbfounded by the magnificent structures built during the time of Pharaohs: numerous imposing temples and striking tombs, such as the pyramids at Giza.  Looking at the ancient buildings, I got a glimpse of the power and wealth of those rulers of old.  I tried to imagine what it must have been like to watch the showdown between the gods of Egypt and the God of Israel during the ten plagues and to witness God's miraculous redemption through the blood of the Lamb.

Baby Jesus, the firstborn of Mary, was presented to the Lord, "Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord" (Luke 2:23).  The firstborns were dedicated to the Lord; this practice came from the time when God delivered Israel from Egypt.  God had sent a message to Pharaoh: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.  So I said to you, 'Let My son go that he may serve Me'; but you have refused to let him go.  Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn" (Exodus 4:22, 23).  Because Pharaoh refused to let Israel go, the firstborns of Egypt died in the tenth plague, but God spared the firstborns of Israel through the blood of the Passover lamb sacrifices in their place (Exodus 12:21-27).  From there on, the firstborns of humans and animals belonged to the Lord (see Exodus 13:12-16), and they were presented to Him for sacred service and were redeemed back, since the Levites now served in place of the firstborns of Israel (see Numbers 3:11-13; 8:17, 18).  As Baby Jesus was presented to the Lord that day, the priest did not realize that this was the ultimate Firstborn, whose blood had been foreshadowed by the Passover lamb in Egypt.  "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).  Jesus would die so that we may be set free.  If you ever become discouraged and afraid for your eternal salvation, remember the blood of Jesus that was poured out in your place, so that you may be redeemed!  Live in the assurance of His abundant sufficiency!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

April 23:  Believing His Salvation.

HIS TIMING.
"Every man serves the good wine first...but you have kept the good wine until now."--John 2:10

There are two fascinating dimensions to God's timing, expressed by two Greek words: chronos and pleroma.  Chronos is the time that never stops but keeps flowing, like in "chronometer."  Pleroma is the completion of all the variables that must come together to make things complete.  "But when the fullness (pleroma) of time (chronos) came, God sent His Son" (Galatians 4:4).  As in a pregnancy, not only is time going by, but there is an evident growth of the baby inside the womb.  Both fullness and time must converge for a healthy birth.  It's the same in spiritual matters; that is why God's timing is so different from ours.

When the mother of Jesus came to Him at Cana, informing Him that the hosts had run out of wine, Jesus answered, "Woman...My hour has not yet come" (John 2:4).  Jesus knew that more variables had to come in place in order for His hour to be fulfilled.  In this Gospel, the hour for Jesus is the cross, and throughout the narrative the approximation to His hour is developed (see John 2:4; 7:30; 12:23, 27; 13:1).  That's when His glory would be fully revealed.  In Cana, Jesus performs the first public miracle turning water into wine.  John narrates seven signs in his Gospel, of which this is the first (John 2:11); he doesn't call them miracles, but signs, revealing a deeper understanding of the identity of Jesus through each one of them.  When the master of the banquet tasted the new wine, he said "Every man serves the good wine first...but you have kept the good wine until now" (verse 10).  Being that the stories of Jesus in John have a second, more profound meaning, it's not surprising that many scholars believe that this miracle was an enacted parable, similar to the old and new wine metaphors (see Matthew 9:17), about the new order that Jesus introduced, replacing the old order of ceremonial laws (see the purification jars mentioned in verse 6) with the newness of His mission and sacrifice.  Jesus patiently waited for His hour to achieve salvation for us.  And He invites us to trust His timing in our lives.

My Response:__________________________________________________________