Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Mob rule is a scary thing. It’s easy to get trapped in it. But dangerous when you let it rule you.
Scripture
John 19:11
Jesus: Any authority you have over Me comes from above, not from your political position. Because of this, the one who handed Me to you is guilty of the greater sin.
Devotional
I have to admit, on more than one occasion, I’ve just given in to the crowd.
I was in charge
I knew in my heart what should be done
I knew the consequences that would take place if I let the crowd rule and gave in to their demands
The crowd was small, my platoon or my staff or the section I was leading at the time
They were tired or hungry or wanted to stop or do something I knew wouldn’t have the outcome we needed
I gave in to their demand
It didn’t turn out well
Mission wasn’t accomplished
Results were poor
All of us embarrassed
Pilate was the governor
Had the authority to release Jesus
Knew what was right
Knew the consequences of giving Jesus over to this mob
An innocent man would die because of his failure to stand up for what was right
Wife even warned him of the failure in justice
Pilate listened to the crowd instead of his conscience
Gave a glimmer of hope when he offered Barabas in place of Jesus
It’s easy to follow the crowd
Jesus told us broad the way that leads to destruction, though
Easy to follow the crowd that leads to nowhere
Harder to follow the narrow path that leads to righteousness
Harder to stand for what is right and just and holy
Like salmon swimming upstream against the current
Everyone else will push against you trying to turn you around
But when you know what is right it is worth maintaining the course
In the end you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Say it enough times and it must be true. That’s what some want you to believe. But what is truth?
Scripture
John 18:33-37
Pilate: Are You the King of the Jews?
Jesus: Are you asking Me because you believe this is true, or have others said this about Me?
Pilate: I’m not a Jew, am I? Your people, including the chief priests, have arrested You and placed You in my custody. What have You done?
Jesus: My kingdom is not recognized in this world. If this were My kingdom, My servants would be fighting for My freedom. But My kingdom is not in this physical realm.
Pilate: So You are a king?
Jesus: You say that I am king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the cosmos: to demonstrate the power of truth. Everyone who seeks truth hears My voice.
Devotional
I’m not a salesman for GEICO, but I love some of their commercials.
Remember the one with the young lady that believes everything on the Internet must be true, just because it’s on the Internet?
She argues with the man next to her and just doesn’t understand that everything on the Internet isn’t necessarily true
And then the prince charming she meets on the Internet walks up for their first date
He’s not what she expected, either
What is truth?
Webster defines truth as:
The real facts about something : the things that are true
Truth is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or standard. Truth may also often be used in modern contexts to refer to an idea of “truth to self,” or authenticity.
Humankind has been on a search for truth since Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden because at the moment they ate that forbidden fruit they discovered there was something in the world that was not true.
Satan lied to them and we have been faced with this dilemma about what is reality and what is not ever since
Pilate wants to know the truth about Jesus
We want to know the same thing
We want to know about God, scriptures, heaven, and hell
We want to know if there is an afterlife and a judgment
We want to know if what scriptures say about the endtimes is true of if what the world says is true
How do we know what is true and what is not?
Take a test drive
Read God’s word with an open heart
Let Him speak to you through His word
Let Him reveal Himself to you
His spirit will guide you into all truth and you will know what is real and what is not
His truth will set you free
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. It really is true. Best to never entangle yourself, just as Jesus taught us.
Scripture
John 18:23
Jesus: If I have spoken incorrectly, why don’t you point out the untruths that I speak? Why do you hit Me if what I have said is correct?
Devotional
Do you remember the game called gossip?
As many as are in the crowd, usually a dozen or more, sit in a circle
First person whispers something in the ear of the person next to them
The message is passed along around the circle
See just how accurate the story is at the end of the circle
Usually not very accurate
Gossip is a game but it’s worse in real life
Little fibs that are told to one person or another
Can’t remember what’s been told when it isn’t the truth
The fib changes from time to time because it was fabricated
Get caught in the lie and then reputation suffers as integrity is damaged
Jesus faced the high priest in trial
Teachings were public
Many probably recorded His teachings and took them back to the priests to argue about what He taught
Never could win the arguments against what He said
Always based in scripture which He knew better than they
Challenged their authority because of His knowledge and actions to back up His knowledge
Just look at My record
Show me where I’ve misspoken
Point out the untruths that I’ve told the crowds
Give an example of something I’ve taught that is contradictory to the scriptures
Give evidence that supports the need for punishment
None could be found
Even witnesses paid to lie could not hold up to cross examination by the high priest
Farce of a trial had to stand some scrutiny for Pilate to execute Jesus
Had to have some evidence and some reasonable facsimile of fairness
Nothing Jesus had said or taught could be used against Him
Everything Jesus said was true and right
Everything the prosecutors brought before the priests failed to meet the standards for any punishment, much less death
Jesus always shared truth
Many didn’t like what He said, but He gave them the truth
Today, many do not like what Christians say, but we must share the truth
Only the truth can free us from the guilt of sin
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Secrets are something Jesus reached inside others and made known. He didn’t seem to have any Himself. Maybe we should follow suit.
Scripture
John 18:20-21
Jesus: I have spoken in public where the world can hear, always teaching in the synagogue and in the temple where the Jewish people gather. I have never spoken in secret. So why would you need to interrogate Me? Many have heard Me teach. Why don’t you question them? They know what I have taught.
Devotional
I’ve taken several oaths in my life.
As an Army officer to support and defend the Constitution
To my wife
In court, to tell the truth
In various legal situations attesting to my identity or the truth of some legal document
All those oaths are public record or can be
I’ve never belonged to one of those secret societies. And I don’t want to.
Oaths behind closed doors.
Teachings that you must reach certain levels before you are allowed to hear what the next level knows
Secrets about beliefs and activities
Secrets about loyalties and how deep those loyalties extend
That’s what I like about Jesus’ testimony to the high priest
Wasn’t trying to be flippant
Wasn’t trying to be rude or arrogant
Just stating fact
Everything He did was in the open for all to see
Even His prayers were open enough for His disciples to overhear and record them for us later in the gospels
Beware of those religions that hide behind secrets
Jesus had no secrets
Everything He did, He did in the open for all to hear
I think He tells us to do the same
We have nothing to hide when we follow His command and His example
It’s true many have died because of His teaching, but so did He
What did He teach that cost His life?
God wants a personal relationship with each of us
Only one relationship never ends, think about it
Everyone you enter into a relationship with will die or move or things change that change the relationship
Every relationship with anything or anyone terrestrial will end
Only a relationship with God can last
Only He is immortal and relates with our immortal soul
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
When I get blasted with false accusations, my first thought is usually to strike back, argue, retaliate for the wrong done, but Jesus taught us a different way to handle those accusations. Listen to what Jesus did.
Scripture
Luke 23:3
Jesus: It’s as you say.
Devotional
Back up to the rest of the story as we look at what Jesus says in this verse.
Spent the night and early morning with the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin
Beaten, humiliated, questioned until they found an answer they could incriminate Him on, they thought
Took Him to Pilate because they couldn’t kill Him
Tell Pilate Jesus forbids Jews to pay taxes to Caesar
Tell Pilate He claims to be King
See the irony in their accusations and actions?
At a time when defenders were still asleep
Pilate didn’t care about their religion or leading others away from it
Would probably encourage anyone to pull populace away from the strict adherence to Jewish tradition; got in the way of obedience to Caesar’s rule
Said he forbade paying taxes when Jesus encouraged supporting government responsibility. “Give to Caesar…give to God.
Stirring up discontent – only against them
Wrongfully accused by the Sanhedrin
False witnesses
False charges
False accusations
False testimony to Pilate
Lies they knew were lies from the leaders bound by the Ten Commandment.
Ninth Commandment – You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor. (Ex 20:16)
Didn’t understand what false testimony was
Didn’t consider Jesus a neighbor
What did Jesus do?
Listened
Let them speak without recourse
Went to the cross for us
What do we usually do?
Argue
Fight back
Get even
Maybe we should learn from Jesus and keep our mouth shut. Look what a difference it made in the people who watched Him. It might do the same for the people who watch you respond with God’s spirit in you.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Mark 14:62 Jesus: I am. One day you will see the Son of Man “sitting at His right hand, in the place of honor and power,” and “coming in the clouds of heaven.”
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Jesus said these words at His trial before the Sanhedrin. They were looking for a way to find charges against Him worthy of death. They wanted to get rid of this trouble maker and wanted to do it fast. So they tried witnesses hired by some of the less scrupulous among them, but the witnesses contradicted each other. So the court couldn’t convict Jesus based on their testimonies. Interesting, isn’t it, that they would use the laws of their court, but wouldn’t use the laws of God in examining Jesus.
The Sanhedrin questioned Jesus more. They twisted His words and asked more pointedly about His teaching. Jesus didn’t answer. Finally, Jesus gave them what they wanted to hear, almost. They were looking for blasphemy, but when it’s the truth, it’s not blasphemy. Still, when the priest, as chief prosecutor asked if Jesus was the Messiah, He answered with the title God used as He addressed Moses in the desert, “I am.”
Those next words in Jesus’ answer to the Sanhedrin caused a near riot in the hall. But I want us to think about them today as we hear them again and take them to heart. “One day you will see the Son of Man ‘sitting at His right hand, in the place of honor and power,’ and ‘coming in the clouds of heaven.’”
Have you considered the promise Jesus made to the Sanhedrin in those early morning hours? They were looking for blasphemy, but He made a promise to all those who would follow Him and also to those who would not. He was headed to heaven to take His rightful place on at the throne. He would sit at the right hand of the Father, the place of honor. They might take His life, but He would overcome them. They might try Him for blasphemy, but He would prove them wrong.
Jesus gave them a picture of the future as He shared the truth of who He was and what would soon happen when He broke out of the tomb and returned to heaven with to await His bride, the church. He would soon go home and one day everyone would see Him as He is, Messiah, God incarnate, the One who saves us from our sins. Our bridge to heaven. We will see Him in His place of honor and power.
The second thing Jesus promises is that He is coming back. He said we would see Him coming in the clouds of heaven. The angels said that when the disciples were gathered on the hillside watching Him leave. They told those who wept at His departure, not to worry or fear or weep, because He was coming back the same way He left, in clouds from heaven.
That will be a great day for some. It will be a tragic day for many. Jesus said the road to heaven is narrow and few find it. For those that find that road, it will be a great day. Seeing Jesus return in the clouds will mark the day He gathers us together to join Him in heaven forever. For those who refuse to believe in Him for His saving grace, for those who refuse to follow Him and obey Him, that day will be a horrible day. That crowd will realize too late that Jesus meant what He said. They, too, will see Him coming in the clouds, but for them, He will come as the avenger of His church. He will come to avenge His name and pour out His wrath on the disobedient. For them, it will be a day they will with they had never been born.
Those gathered in the courtroom that day heard Jesus’ prophecy as blasphemy. We, on this side of the cross, who believe what He said and trust in Him, know His words are true and know His words are far from blasphemy, but a promise to all who follow His teachings. He will come again, just as He said. Right now He sits on the throne with the Father. He leans in close so He doesn’t miss a word. He awaits the message from His father, “Go get your bride.”
With the mention of those words from the Father, Jesus will climb onto those clouds and descend from heaven to get us. His words to the Sanhedrin will come true. He will come to take us away. What a spectacular day that will be. One day, we will see Him sitting at the right hand of the Father, in the place of honor and power and coming in the clouds of heaven.
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 27:11
Jesus was standing before the governor, Pilate. Pilate: Are You the King of the Jews? Jesus: So you say.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Now it’s morning. The priests have been awake all night getting their plans together to take Jesus and the right charges to Pilate to make sure an execution happened on this day. The charges must stand up to the scrutiny of their governor so the punishment was swift and permanent. These priests wanted Jesus out of their hair forever. So what charge could they bring. The only answer? Changes against the emperor himself. This Man talked about the kingdom of heaven, let’s tell Pilate Jesus says He claims He is King of the Jews and wants to overthrow Caesar. That will work!
The sun isn’t up yet, but days start early in Judea. The sun gets hot early so business starts well before the sun comes up and stops when it gets high in the sky. It’s just too hot to do much. So before the sun rises, the priests are at Pilate’s palace knocking on the door. They can’t come in because this is Gentile territory and they can’t dirty themselves by entering. They won’t have time for the cleansing ritual before the Sabbath. Servants go to find the governor who reluctantly comes to the porch to speak with these crazy Jews. He doesn’t understand their customs, but after being their for several years he has grown accustomed to them and grants an audience on their terms. He must keep peace with them if he is to keep favor with the emperor.
I can imagine the crazy conversation. “Pilate, we want you to kill this man for us.” “Why? What has He done?” “He says he wants to be king of our people, that is insurrection against Rome.” “Do you recognize Him as king?” “Well, no.” “Then what’s the problem?” “I thought you priests were the authority in this place. So what if He says He wants to be king? He isn’t and He’s just one man without an army. What do I care?” “But you don’t understand. He’s also called Himself God.” “So, at least you can see Him, you can’t even see the God you guys say you worship. What do I care about that?”
Finally, they convince Pilate to take the case. And He questions Jesus. I expect that conversation went well, too. We only get a few of the words spoken, but I expect there were a lot more than those recorded in Matthew.
“So, Jesus, these guys put your life in my hands. What do you have to say for yourself?” No answer. “They say you want to be king. Is that right?” No answer. “They say you think you’re a god. Do you think you’re a god?” No answer. “So, are you deaf and dumb? You do understand I have the power to set you free, don’t you?” No answer. “Listen. You seem like a nice enough guy. I’ve heard you’re doing some good things for people out in the community. Why don’t you just fall in line with these priests of yours. Things will go a lot smoother for both of us. What do you say?” No answer. “Your refusal to talk to me isn’t getting you very far. I can have you executed on the spot if I want. You know that, don’t you?” No answer.
I think their conversation went on for a while like that. Eventually Pilate got tired of the questions with no answers and asked a final time. “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answers, “So you say.” Notice it’s still Pilate’s words. Jesus is the King of kings, but it’s Pilate’s acclamation, not Jesus’ that brings His condemnation. But with those words, Pilate turns Him over to the crowd. He tries to wash his hands of the affair, but he, as is each of us, is culpable in Jesus death on the cross.
So what do we learn from this exchange? Once again we see Jesus is silent before His accuser. There is no need for argument. As victor over sin and death and the grave, Jesus needs no defense. He has already won the victory. Jesus won His personal human struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was about to win the cosmic struggle over sin in just a few hours. Defense just wasn’t required. He was on the offense now. It might not look like it from the world’s perspective, but that didn’t matter and Jesus knew it. The battle was won!
When we understand that when we are on His side, we are part of the victory team. We don’t need to defend the faith, we just need to live it. We don’t need to argue our position, we just need to stand on the truth of God’s word. We don’t need to cower in the face of the enemy, the battle is already won. The enemy has already been defeated. He just doesn’t know it yet. God has won! When we believe in Him, we are victorious, too. Defense? Not anymore. We’re on the offense and the very gates of hell cannot stand against the church on the offensive. Jesus didn’t argue. We don’t need to either.
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 26:64 Jesus: So you seem to be saying. I will say this: beginning now, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God’s power and glory and coming on heavenly clouds.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Everyone gather’s at Caiaphas’ house to figure out charges to bring against Jesus worthy of the death penalty. They all know He should die. He’s disrupted their playground. People don’t trust their teaching anymore. People turn to this Jesus for instruction on how they should follow God’s commands instead of listening to them. Jesus must die.
A few disreputable men come forward with evidence, paid by of chief priests to give their testimony. The problem is their testimonies don’t exactly agree, so Caiaphas doesn’t have what he needs to legally pass sentence against Jesus. So He questions Jesus himself. Don’t you have anything to say about these charges? Don’t you want to argue your own defense?
Nothing but silence.
Caiaphas tries something else. “Under oath, tell us right now, are you or are you not the Son of God?”
Jesus finally says something. “You seem to say so. But from this point on, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God’s power and glory and coming on heavenly clouds.”
That was it. That was enough for Caiaphas. Sounded like blasphemy, even though it was Caiaphas who pronounced that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus just didn’t disagree with him. Funny how that kangaroo court happened, isn’t it. Liars as witnesses. Blasphemy that the high priest attributed to Jesus, but he is the one who said the words. And they would only have been blasphemy if they were untrue. But since Jesus was the Son of God, they were not blasphemy in the first place.
So now Caiaphas had his charge. Jesus found worthy of death in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. Now how will that translate for the Romans so they will find fit to crucify this religious criminal. Rome doesn’t care. The number of gods around doesn’t concern them. It won’t be until Domician declares himself god and demands universal worship of himself that nations will suffer significant religious persecution under the Romans. So what crime against the state can Caiaphas and his fellow priest turn up against Jesus?
So what do we learn from this exchange between the chief priests, the high priest, and Jesus?
First, like Jesus, we must keep our behavior above reproach so no one can bring charges against us unless they hire liars and thugs to drum up false charges. As hard as the religious leaders tried, they could find nothing in either the civil law or their own religious laws with which to charge Jesus. His record remained impecable. They tried everything they could to find something, anything, to bring a guilty sentence, but foud nothing. We should live like that. We should live such outstanding lives that we can live as open books and nothing be found that could bring any discredit to God because of our actions.
Second, we should recognize that if we are followers of Jesus we can expect unbelievers to try to find fault in our living. They will look hard to find the tiniest crack in our armor and exploit it. The world will look for a word or an act or an omission somewhere and splash it in front of everyone they can to show our ungodly character. Whether true or not, expect the world to exploit anything they can to discredit our faith.
Third, when those things happen, sometimes, like Jesus, it’s just best to keep our mouth shut. I’m sometimes amazed at the arguments Christians let themselves get trapped in that really are meaningless arguments. We know the world is baiting us, trying to find that chink in our armor, trying to exploit some phrase, trying to twist some defense. But we need no defense when we walk with Jesus. He is already the victor. Why does the victor need defending? He’s already won! We can just let the world keep talking to themselves and keep on loving them. We can keep showing God’s love and sharing His message.
Finally, what happens if the world trumps up false charges against us and punishes us unjustly for something we didn’t do? What happens if we are imprisoned, persecuted, libeled, discredited, humiliated because of following Jesus?
Well, we join a pretty significant crowd, don’t we. If you read Foxx Book of Martyrs, you’ll find you’re in pretty good company. Thousands have gone before you imprisoned, persecuted, humiliated, libeled, discredited, and killed for doing what God asked them to do. They broke no laws. They threatened no lives. They did good to others. Yet the world hated them just as Jesus promised.
I won’t tell you it’s pleasant to be in that crowd, but it sure is a pleasure to be in that number. Jesus teaches us even in His encounter with Caiaphas. Learn to be like Him.
