Scripture text for Monday, March 29th, 2010: Luke 9:1-9:36

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Today we look at the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000. He had sent the disciples away to proclaim the kingdom of God, and perform healing. They were instructed to take nothing with them, making them totally dependent on God. Upon their return they report all they had seen and done, and scripture tells us, that Jesus withdrew to a city called Bethsaida, but the multitudes followed. Jesus did not send the people away, but welcomed them, told them about the kingdom of God, and healed those in need of healing. As the day drew to an end the disciples wondered how they would feed the crowd, all they could find were five loaves, and two fishes. Jesus takes the five loaves and two fishes and looks to the heavens, He blessed them, and broke them, and handed them out to the disciples to feed the multitude. Now scripture tells us that the men ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces filled twelve baskets. This miracle is also accounted in the gospels of Matthew 14:13, John 6:1 and a similar account in Mark 8:1 (this is a different story, but a similar miracle, this crowd included many gentiles, unlike the crowd in Luke). In Mark Jesus feeds 4,000 with seven loaves and a few small fish, and had seven baskets full of what was left. As we read the story in Luke we find it an amazing miracle of how God cares for his peoples every need, not just their (our) spiritual needs but those more basic needs. For the Jewish people we wonder if they saw even more to this act of compassion. Did it remind them of the manna that God provided to feed the children of Israel, or Elisha who fed 100 men with 20 loaves of bread in 2 Kings, which said “they will eat and have some left over.” What is the significance of the leftover’s here and in Luke and Mark?

Scripture text for Friday, March 26th, 2010: Luke 15:1-15:32

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Luke 15:1-31 :¹Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. ²But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Thankfully, we learn from this passage that Jesus was just as willing to rub elbows with the questionable crowd as he was to wrestle tough questions with the religious elite. He saw them all for who they truly were—lost and in need of a savior. Our assignment, should we choose to accept it, is to model his behavior. If your life is like mine, he gives us ample opportunity to do so.

Scripture text for Thursday, March 25th, 2010: Luke 10:25-10:37

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Frequently, as we read the Bible, we are shocked, and disgusted at the behavior we encounter. At first, we think we cannot identify with such bumbling foolishness, or heartless cruelty. We are usually wrong.

As I read this passage, I tried to picture a man beaten, and bloodied lying on the side of the road left for dead. I tried to imagine someone deliberately crossing the road to avoid walking by him, pretending not to see him (sadly, it was pretty easy to do).

As I pictured the scene, I felt sick. It seems unbelievable to so easily disregard someone so desperate for help.

The knot in my stomach grew as I saw myself in this parable.

Scripture text for Wednesday, March 24th, 2010: Matthew 13:1-13:58

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I am constantly amazed at how the Lord works in my life. One would think I’d have it figured out by now, but I often feel more like a Pharisee than one of God’s elect. At the very beginning of this E100 challenge I was asked to do a devotion and I let someone else pick which reading I would write about. The passage that was chosen could not be more applicable in my life.

Over the past three months I have been blessed to mentor, disciple, and minister to a lost soul. During that time we grew very close and Chris felt lead to accept Christ into his life. This was a huge step in recovering from the addictions of his past and we knew it meant new life for Chris. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!” Unfortunately his history overtook his future and two weeks ago he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his past transgressions.

Scripture text for Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010: Matthew 6:5-7:29

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The sermon on the mount is certainly the most famous teaching of Jesus. Many, including Mahatma Gandhi, have found in it great wisdom even when they were not prepared to fully adopt it or commit themselves to Jesus. It is both a description of the manner in which the followers of Jesus are to engage in relationship with their God and others as well as a description of the character that they are to embody. As such, it focuses both on our attitudes and our actions. This first part, our attitudes, is what would have been revolutionary for the original audience, trained as they were in the importance of following the law and its behavioral guidelines, with little attention given to the heart.