Dear Student of the Word,
I missed a week last week, so you are overdue for your next installment of God's Word as we study John's gospel together. This week we move into John 13, where Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Then He said that He expected them to do the same for one another. This week I wrote on day six of this seven-day study:
v. 24 – Peter wanted to know who the traitor was, so he directed to the disciple to ask Jesus who it was. When you don’t have the answers to life, ask the Lord! Peter knew that Jesus would tell the disciple He loved. What secrets are you asking God to reveal to you? What don’t you know that you would like to know, but don’t know because you haven’t asked to know?
vs. 25&26 – So the disciple asked and Jesus was ready to tell him who it was. He did not tell Him directly, however, but He did something symbolic to indicate that it was Judas. He dipped a piece of bread and gave it to Judas to eat. The traitor was willing to take bread from Jesus on minute and betray Him the next. There are some modern portrayals of Judas that make him out to be a sympathetic figure who was confused, concerned for Israel or disillusioned. While those portrayals may make for interesting conversation, they are misdirected. Judas was a thief who saw a chance to make money on Jesus and did it.
There are still many who make money off Jesus one way or the other. Paul even said that some men make money off the preaching of the Word:
Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God (2 Corinthians 2:7).
And then there are others whose livelihood is damaged when the Lord arrives on the scene. They usually react violently, even in modern times.
About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty” (Acts 19:23-27).
Judas was eager to make some cash off His relationship with the Lord. Be careful that you don’t ever do the same thing, for Jesus was clear concerning the ramifications:
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.
Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.
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1. REVELATION PROJECT UPDATE! As I wrote last week, I had a major breakthrough in my attempt to publish my Revelation Studies. A donor made a matching grant challenge for the month of August, promising to match every dollar donated with another dollar of his own. Last week $135 came in, so that means we have $270 of the $4,000 needed to publish. I am confident the rest will arrive by August 31.
Every dollar you give will be doubled this month, so when you give, you are exercising good stewardship. What's more, you will be part of publishing and distributing this work that will help reclaim Revelation as a rich devotional book of victory and worship! You can make a contribution this month by going directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or by sending a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Please make sure you mark you donation for Revelation and don't forget that every dollar you give is actually two until August 31.
2. THE SOPHIA FUND UPDATE: Only about $10 came in last week for The Sophia Fund. I am heading to Africa in late September and will check on the status of our donations then to make sure all is going well. As you know by now, I am using the money to feed AIDS orphans and widows in Kenya and Zimbabwe. I posted a report from Kenya on the last payment I sent there that you can read on my blog. You can also read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother). Even though I am raising money for my Revelation Project, I will not neglect The Sophia Fund. The orphans and widows need our help now more than ever.
Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more. You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.
3. DAILY PROVERB: I am now posting a short daily devotional focusing on one verse every day on my blog site. If you would like to read it or subscribe to receive it, just go to my site and register there. I promise to have it updated every day.
The great use of life is to spend it doing something that will outlast it
Posted by: true religion | January 20, 2011 at 01:11 AM
would like to join your blog anyway so please continue
Posted by: Mens True Religion 5 | May 26, 2011 at 05:18 AM