Underlying Judas’ betrayal, the motivation behind why Judas said, why wasn’t this money given to the poor was his love of money. Let’s call it what it is. Money was his idol. Judas didn’t love the poor. He didn’t love Jesus. He was ready to betray Jesus for $1,000. That’s how much Jesus was worth […]
Matthew
Matt 26 – Jesus is Worth It: Love Extravagantly (pt2 of 3)
Compare the trio of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, their gratitude, with that of the disciples and Judas in particular. In Matt 26:8, you have a chorus of indignant disciples shouting, why this waste? I get it. We have to be good stewards. We can’t give away our life savings every single day in a moment […]
Matt 26 – Jesus is Worth It: Love Extravagantly (pt1 of 3)
Passion Week is right around the corner. It’s called Passion Week because of the “passion” or suffering Jesus underwent in the final week leading up to the crucifixion. Consider this. In the gospel of Matthew, out of twenty-eight chapters, eight are devoted to the final week of Jesus’ ministry. I’d say this week coming up […]
Matt 25 – Waiting for the Coming Bridegroom (pt3 of 3)
I was meditating on this section while I was at a cafe in San Marino and I got a chance to do a prayer walk nearby in a neighborhood filled with million dollar homes. And God spoke to me and what I am about to say is uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable for me as I struggle […]
Matt 25 – Waiting for the Coming Bridegroom (pt2 of 3)
In the parable of the ten virgins, half of them were ready and half of them weren’t. The groom, who represents Jesus, is delayed. 5 Since the groom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. Notice that it is not foolish to sleep. All ten slept, not just the foolish. This is not […]
Matt 25 – Waiting for the Coming Bridegroom (pt1 of 3)
In Oct 1998, I was 23 going on 24 and single. I was making decent money at a startup in downtown San Francisco, plenty for a single guy back then. I was ministering to UC Berkeley students where I went to school. I had some great friends from college who stuck around after graduation that […]