Daily Reading

Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26 So, Judas Iscariot has decided to betray Jesus. Why? Did he lose faith? Was he always corrupt? Some believe that Judas thought Jesus would be forced into becoming the Messianic King that everyone was looking for if he were arrested. The key to remember here is - stop judging things with your human eyes & heart and trust in the Word of God. For whatever reason, Judas took matters into his own hands rather than trusting the teachings of Jesus Christ. We'll see in a few readings how this damages Judas. At the Passover meal, Jesus predicts His betrayal & the one who will betray Him. Then He instituted Communion. This is a pretty big deal because the Passover meal had been celebrated the same way every year for the last 1,000 years. Now, suddenly Jesus is changing a part of the meal to focus on remembering Him. Basically, Jesus is saying these holidays that the Jews have been celebrating for a century are all about Him - they have been preparing for the Messiah. We will be celebrating Passover at church on Monday - if you've never experienced this celebration - come & enjoy. You will be amazed at how prophetic these holidays are. After the meal, Jesus takes the disciples to the Mount of Olives to pray. He tries to prepare them for what will be happening in the next 24 hours, but they refuse to believe that these things could happen. In fact, they are so unconcerned, they fall asleep while Jesus is praying His heart out. Remember Jesus is fully man & fully God. He has chosen to follow the will of God, He knows exactly what is about to happen. Who wouldn't be apprehensive about what is to come? Don't look at this as a man trying to make up his mind. This is a man who knows exactly what is going to happen & now he's spending time in pray, preparing for it. Another psalm pattern - when we cry out to the LORD, He hears our cries and sends help. Notice these psalms often start out in despair & end in joy & gladness.