Today's Reading:O.T. - Proverbs 31
N.T. - Mark 15 - 16
Focus Verses: Mark 15:37-38
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
Insight:
The story of Jesus' crucifixion is interwoven with strange and interesting little details that have large significance. Here Mark reports that at the moment Jesus breathed his last breath, the curtain in the Temple, which served as a separating barrier to the holiest place, was torn from top to bottom.
The phrase "top to bottom" seems to indicate and symbolize God's initiative toward man--heaven reaching down to earth to end humanity's separation from God. It brings to mind the words of Hebrews 10:19-20: "...we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body."
Response and Action:
God has taken the initiative to save and redeem mankind through his only son, Jesus Christ. My faith and hope are in him. I have confidence that Jesus has opened the way to a new life and reconciliation to God. I will draw near to God with confidence because of Christ's sacrifice and the promises he has given to those who believe in him.
Thank you, God, for loving me and working for my salvation before I was even born. Thank you for sending your son Jesus into the world, that all who believe in him might not perish, but instead have eternal life. Help me to love others in sacrificial and redemptive ways. In the same way that you took the initiative to love me before I knew you, help me to take the initiative to serve and love others before they have done anything to earn it. Amen.
Proverbs: 31:8-9
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Resources:
The Original Jesus: The Life and Vision of a Revolutionary
by N.T. Wright
