READING: Isaiah 7-10; Psalm 22; Matt 26
The tension must have been heavy. During a Passover meal, Jesus had told His disciples that one of them would betray Him. All surely were shocked, yet wondering if each might be the one. One scholar notes their question may have been something like, “You can’t possibly mean me, can you?”* Even Judas, who had already put the betrayal in motion, asked the question.
Jesus later broke bread and shared the fruit of the vine with His disciples, telling them that each represented His broken body and shed blood, respectively. Jesus alone understood the significance of the acts of the first Lord’s Supper. He alone knew the anguish that awaited Him with a cross hanging over His shoulder. Having shared the meal together, the group then sang a hymn – perhaps Psalm 118, a praise song.
But, then the hammer fell again: Jesus told His disciples that all of them would fall away that night; they would all scatter when the shepherd was stricken. Peter was sure he would not, even if all the others did. Mark 14:31 tells us that all of them actually echoed the same sentiment Peter did. Then, a following verse (Mark 14:50) reveals that they all did, in fact, flee.
Still, Jesus loved them and died for them.
I thank God today He is so gracious and forgiving when I’m so easily frightened and fickle. Were it not for His grace, it could be me.
PRAYER: “Lord, I love You and thank You for Your amazing grace.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Isaiah 11-13; Psalm 118; Matt 27
*France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 1, p. 371). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.