Has Anyone Ever Spit in Your Face?

Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him.…
— Matthew 26:67

Some years ago, I visited another church in our city to hear a special speaker who had come from afar. That evening at the meeting, the local church I was visiting announced they would be starting a building program. As I sat in there, God’s Spirit spoke to my heart and instructed me to sow a sacrificial seed into their new building program. It was a time when we desperately needed money for our own building program, so anything I sowed would be sacrificial. However, the amount the Lord put in my heart was significant.

What made it even harder for me to give this gift was that this church had acted maliciously toward our church in the past. They had lied about us, scoffed at us, and even prayed for our downfall. And now the Lord was telling me to sow a large gift into this same church?

Throughout that entire service, I argued with the Lord. The issue really wasn’t the money, although we could have used the money ourselves at that moment. The issue I was wrestling with was giving a gift to this church that had treated us with contempt for so long.

Finally, the Spirit of God asked me, Are you willing to sow a seed for peace with this church? That clinched it! I pulled my checkbook out of my pocket to write what I considered to be a sizable gift for this other church. Writing that check was difficult, but once it was written, my heart simply flooded with joy because I had been obedient. There is no joy to compare with the joy that comes from being obedient!

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One week later, the pastor to whom I gave the gift was at a meeting with his staff and church leaders. The pastor told his leaders, “Look at this puny little check Pastor Rick gave us! Couldn’t he have done any better than this?” When I heard how he viewed the sizable gift I’d given, I was quite shocked. But when I heard what this pastor did next, I was literally stunned. He devoted the next part of his staff meeting to discussing all the things he didn’t like about me and our church. He poked fun at us, ridiculed us, mocked us, and put us down in front of his people. Instead of being thankful for the gift we gave, he once more demonstrated utter disrespect and contempt for us.

When I heard about this event, it hurt so badly that it cut deep into my heart. How could anyone say the gift we gave was puny? It would be considered significant in any nation of the world. But what hurt the most was that the pastor had put us down and publicly made fun of us in front of his staff and leadership. I remember feeling as if I had been spit on — and as the years passed, this same pastor spit on us many more times.

For instance, when we dedicated our church building — the first church to be built in sixty years in our city — it was a moment of great rejoicing. But soon after our dedication, this man stood before a large convention of several thousand people and sneered at our new facility. For a second time, he injected a dagger into my heart! At a time when this pastor could have been rejoicing with us, he chose to make it another opportunity to spit in our faces.

How about you? Can you think of an instance in your life when you did something good for someone, but that person didn’t appreciate what you did? Was he so unappreciative that you felt as if he’d spit in your face? Were you stunned by his behavior? How did you act in response to that situation?

I think nearly everyone has felt taken advantage of and spit on at some point or another. But imagine how Jesus must have felt the night He was taken to the high priest where He was literally spit on by the guards and temple police! For three years, Jesus preached, taught, and healed the sick. But now He was being led like a sheep to the spiritual butcher of Jerusalem, the high priest Caiaphas, and to the scribes and elders who had assembled to wait for His arrival.

In the trial that took place before the high priest and his elders, the religious leaders charged Jesus with the crime of declaring Himself the Messiah. Jesus replied by telling them that they would indeed one day see Him sitting on the right hand of power and coming with clouds of glory (Matthew 26:64). Upon hearing this, the high priest ripped his clothes and screamed, “Blasphemy!” as all the scribes and elders lifted their voices in anger, demanding that Jesus die (Matthew 26:66).

Then these religious scribes and elders did the unthinkable! Matthew 26:67,68 says, “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?”

Notice that it wasn’t just a few who spit in his face that night; the Bible says, “…they spit in his face.…” The word “they” refers to all the scribes and elders who were assembled for the meeting that night. One scholar notes that there could have been one hundred or more men in this crowd! And one by one, each of these so-called spiritual leaders, clothed in their religious garments, walked up to Jesus and spit in His face!

In that culture and time, spitting in one’s face was considered to be the strongest thing you could do to show utter disgust, repugnance, dislike, or hatred for someone. When someone spattered his spit on another person’s face, that spit was meant to humiliate, demean, debase, and shame that person. To make it worse, the offender would usually spit hard and close to the person’s face, making it all the more humiliating.

By the time Caiaphas and his scribes and elders had finished taking turns spitting on Jesus, their spit was most likely dripping down from His forehead into His eyes; dribbling down His nose, His cheekbones, and His chin; and even oozing down onto His clothes. This was an extremely humiliating scene! And remember, the men who were acting so hatefully toward Jesus were religious leaders! Their hideous conduct was something Jesus definitely didn’t deserve. And what makes this entire scene even more amazing is that Malchus — the servant whom Jesus had just healed — was in all probability standing at the side of Caiaphas and watching it all happen!

These religious leaders didn’t stop with just humiliating Jesus. After spitting on Him, they each doubled up their fists and whacked Him violently in the face! Matthew 26:67 says, “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him.…” The word “buffet” is the Greek word kolaphidzo, which means to strike with the fist. It is normally used to picture a person who is violently beaten.

As if it wasn’t insulting enough to spit on Jesus, approximately one hundred men viciously and cruelly struck Him with their fists. Not only was this brutal — it was sadistic! Humiliating Jesus with their spit and curses didn’t satisfy the hatred of these men; they wouldn’t be satisfied until they knew He had been physically maltreated. To ensure that this goal was accomplished, their own fists became their weapons of abuse.

It appears that these scribes and elders were so paranoid about Jesus getting more attention than themselves that they simply wanted to destroy Him. Every time they spit on Him, they were spitting on the anointing. Every time they struck Him, they were leveling a punch against the anointing. They hated Jesus and the anointing that operated through Him to such an extent that they voted to murder Him. But first they wanted to take some time to personally make sure He suffered before He died. What a strange way to render “thanks” to One who had done so much for them!

When I get disappointed at the way others respond to me or to what I have done for them, I often think of what happened to Jesus on that night when He came before these Jewish leaders. John 1:11 tells us, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” Although these men who spit on and hit Jesus refused to acknowledge Him, He still went to the Cross and died for them. His love for them was unwavering — unshaken and unaffected by their wrong actions.

As you think of how people have wronged you, does it affect your desire to love them? What have these conflicts revealed about you? Is your love for those unkind people consistent, unwavering, unshaken, and unaffected? Or have the conflicts revealed you have a fickle love that you quickly turn off when people don’t respond to you the way you wished they would?

The same Holy Spirit who lived in Jesus now lives in you. Just as the Spirit of God empowered Jesus to love people consistently, regardless of what they did or didn’t do, the Holy Spirit can empower you to do the same. So why don’t you take a few minutes today to pray about the people who have let you down or disappointed you? Then forgive those people, and decide to love them the way Jesus loved those who wronged Him!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, thank You for being such a good example of love that is unshaken and unaffected by other people’s actions. You have loved me with a consistent love, even in times when I’ve acted badly and didn’t deserve it. Thank You so much for loving me in spite of the things I’ve done and the things I’ve permitted to go on in my life. Today I want to ask You to help me love others just as consistently as You have loved me. Forgive me for being on-again, off-again in my love. Help me become rock-solid and unwavering in my love for others, including those who haven’t treated me too nicely. I know that with Your help, I can love them steadfastly no matter what they do!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that what other people have done to me doesn’t affect my desire or my commitment to love them. My love for people is consistent, unwavering, unshaken, and unaffected. The same Holy Spirit who lived in Jesus now lives in me — and just as the Spirit of God empowered Jesus to love everyone consistently, now the Holy Spirit empowers me to do the same!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like someone you tried to help later turned around and “spit in your face”?

2. Did that conflict reveal that your love for them was consistent, unwavering, unshaken, and unaffected — or that you have a fickle love that is quickly turned off when people don’t respond to you the way you wished they would?

3. The next time someone treats you this way, how do you think you should respond to him or her?

But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
— Romans 5:20

In yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, I recounted the time we baptized 926 new believers in a public swimming pool during the first meetings we held in the former Soviet Union. But there is more to this amazing story! As I stood and looked at all the people being water-baptized that week, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “What will you do with all these people now that they have been baptized?” In that moment, it was like a streak of divine revelation pierced through my soul — and I knew that God was telling me to take responsibility for these new believers. Denise and I were being instructed by the Holy Spirit to start a church.

Soon afterward, we began searching for a location to start a new church. When Jesus started his ministry, He announced that He was anointed to preach the good news of the Gospel (see Luke 4:18), so we felt we should name the church the Good News Church because the Gospel was such good news! Especially in the wake of the collapse of USSR when there was so much bad news all around in this part of the world, we believed this name would signal the truth of what the Gospel is.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

After being rejected by several locations that we had investigated as potential sites for our church, we learned that an old auditorium formerly used by the Communist Party was available if we wanted to rent it. Within hours of receiving that information, I went to that auditorium to see if it would work as our new church building. There I was — surrounded by 680 leather-padded, theater-style, Communist-red seats. An enormous chandelier hung from the ceiling with gigantic, matching light fixtures that surrounded the circular auditorium. The walls were adorned with emblems of the Soviet Union that included a huge cameo of Marx and Lenin adorning the top left and right of the stage. The back rooms of the stage were filled with Communist paraphernalia — including flags of every Republic of USSR, a gargantuan bust of Lenin, and a huge copper emblem that celebrated one of the anniversaries of the Communist party.

When I stood on that stage and looked out onto those empty seats, I understood that this was the location where Jesus wanted us to start the Good News Church. We contacted the new believers who had been water-baptized and invited them to a full week of meetings in the new location. From the onset of those meetings, the power of God literally burst into that place and established the Church of Jesus Christ in that part of the world!

During that first week, every chair was filled, and people crowded the steps and lined the auditorium each evening. The auditorium was packed to maximum capacity until the number of people attending overflowed beyond the limitations prescribed by the local fire department, and we had to begin holding multiple services each week to accommodate our burgeoning congregation. In the middle of that location — where Communist powers had once prevailed — the grace of God was being poured out!

That week I couldn’t help but be reminded of the apostle Paul’s words in Romans 5:20, where he wrote, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Paul said that sin “abounded” — from the Greek word pleonadzo, which describes something that exists in abundance. However, Paul went on to use comparative language to tell us that regardless of how immense sin and its dominion was in a person’s life, it is nothing in comparison to the working of God’s grace.

When I looked at that auditorium, I thought of how that building, like so many lives, was once dominated by a horrible working of sin. But regardless of what sinful decisions were made there, it is nothing compared to the grace now poured out upon us!

God’s grace is being poured out in a measure that is way above and beyond anything that that sin ever dreamed to accomplish. Paul said grace did “much more abound” — that was his inspired way of explaining the profuse, lavish, bountiful, and overflowing nature of God’s grace!

The words “much more abound” are actually a translation of the Greek word huperperisseo, which is a compound of the words huper and perisseo. The first part of this compound is the word huper, which means over, above, and beyond. It depicts something that is way beyond measure. It carries the idea of superiority — something that is utmost, paramount, foremost, first-rate, first-class, and top-notch; greater, higher, and better than; superior to; preeminent, dominant, and incomparable; more than a match for; unsurpassed, unequaled, and unrivaled by any person or thing.

The second part of this compound is the word perisseo, which depicts something that abounds in an extraordinary measure or something so profuse that it can be likened to a river that is overflowing and flooding beyond its banks. It is so full that it simply cannot be contained in a single location. Thus, when these two words are compounded to form the word huperperisseo, it dramatically portrays grace as a force that is measureless and which can never be exhausted. So this verse could be understood to mean, “Where sin existed in abundance, grace FAR exceeded it!”

This is not only true of that location where our first church gathered in Riga, but it is also true of you. Sin may have once existed in abundance in your life, but the grace of God has far exceeded anything that the devil or any past sin ever attempted to fulfill in your life. The grace of God working in you is higher, preeminent, unsurpassed, and unrivaled by any past rule of sin in your life. God’s grace in you is simply measureless and inexhaustible!

Just as the grace of God was poured out in that old Communist auditorium, it is now being poured out abundantly — without measure — in your life. This is your time to gloat over what God can do in a person’s life. There you are, a former temple of sin, and now you have become a place where God with all His miracle-working power is at work. It leaves one speechless to consider what God has done and is doing in you!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, although sin once dominated in my life, Your lavish, overflowing grace has abounded even more in me. Your grace far exceeds the work or influence of sin. Holy Spirit, I ask You to open the eyes of my understanding and help me begin to understand how to cooperate more fully with the grace of God that is at work in my life.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that the grace of God abounds in my life, teaching me to say no to ungodliness and yes to living a morally upright life in this present age. The grace of God working in me is unsurpassed and unrivaled by any past rule of sin in my life. In the areas of my life and thoughts where fear and other sins once held control, the grace of God released to me now holds the superior position, and I allow that grace to reign supreme.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. When you survey your life and the areas where sin once operated in you without restraint, what differences do you see now because of the grace of God at work in your life?
2. How is grace abounding in your life? Describe the ways in which you are deliberately cooperating with the grace of God so its work can increase in your life.
3. What is the most notable change that you have observed in your thoughts and attitudes toward others due to the measureless grace of God overflowing the banks of your life?

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit….
— Matthew 28:19

In yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, I related the story of the first large meetings that Denise and I conducted in the former Soviet Union. We held those meetings in Latvia’s capital city of Riga. During that amazing week, approximately 8,000 people attended the meetings on all five nights — for a total attendance of 40,000 people. Just as people followed Jesus to witness the powerful, mind-blowing miracles He performed during His earthly ministry, we discovered that these precious people didn’t want to go away once they had been touched by God’s power. Miraculous power abounded all around us, and that week we witnessed several thousand people come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ!

However, during these meetings, I was deeply disturbed by one very important fact: These new believers needed to be water-baptized! In Matthew 28:19, Jesus proclaimed, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus didn’t tell us to just preach to them; He commanded that we baptize them and get them moving on the road to discipleship! Jesus treated baptism like it was important, so I knew I needed to find a way to get these new believers into baptismal waters.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

Before I continue with this story, let’s look at the word “baptism” for a moment to see what it originally meant in the Greek. The word “baptize” is from the Greek word baptidzo, a word that originally meant to dip and to dye. For instance, in very early cases, the word baptidzo described the process of dipping a cloth or garment into a vat of color to dye it; leaving it there long enough for the material to soak up the new color; and then pulling that garment out of the dye with a permanently changed outward appearance. Likewise a person who comes to Jesus Christ can be likened to an old garment that needs to be dipped into a vat of dye so its color can be changed. However, the person isn’t dipped into a vat of colored dye, but into the precious blood of the Lamb! This person is so totally transformed by Jesus’ blood that he becomes a new creature. His countenance is so changed that he even looks different. You could say that this new believer has been supernaturally “dipped and dyed”!

What a new light this sheds on baptism! In Romans 6:4, the apostle Paul said, “Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Water baptism is a symbolic proclamation of the fact that believers have been buried with Christ and raised with Him. When a believer is placed in the baptismal waters, it symbolizes being immersed in one condition and coming out looking brand-new. In other words, it is a picture of what happened to that person when he got saved! This outward symbol represents the fact that he has been dipped in the blood of the Lamb, and now his entire life has been newly colored and transformed to be like Jesus!

According to Paul’s instructions in Romans 6, this was the act of officially burying the past and starting a new life in Christ. At the time of those meetings, I fully understood that Christ commanded us to lead people into the waters of baptism as a public declaration of what God had done in their lives — in addition to preaching and leading people in a prayer of repentance. When we saw so many people get saved the first night, I knew we had to come up with a solution to baptize them.

To solve this problem, we rented a public swimming pool for three afternoons, and I announced that we would make water baptism available to each new believer and that we would instruct him or her about water baptism around the sides of the swimming pool before they entered it to be baptized.

We thought it would be extraordinary if 100 converts showed up to be baptized in a mid- afternoon service, but even at that, our team was ready to baptize 10 people at a time. We thought that with all the getting in and out of the pool, we could handle 100 people in one hour per afternoon if we were really careful with our time. We thought that if 300 of the new converts showed up over the course of all three afternoons, it would be a fabulous turnout — so you can imagine how stunned we were when more than 300 people showed up the first afternoon. There were so many people that we could not fit them around the edge of the pool in one teaching session, so we decided to divide the afternoon into three different baptismal sessions that each accommodated about 100 people. This meant we ended up baptizing a little more than 300 people in that first afternoon.

But on the second day, another 300-plus people came to the pool for water baptism — meaning the turnout had already exceeded 600 people! Then on the third day, we were stunned when an additional 300-plus people showed up to be baptized. By the end of those three afternoons, we had water-baptized 926 people. To be honest, we were both spiritually elated and physically exhausted. And we still had one more evening service to preach where more people would repent. That meant even more people would need to be water-baptized!

It was an amazing week in our lives. It was our first public event in the former USSR. Approximately 40,000 people attended, approximately 7,000 people repented and received Christ, countless notable miracles abounded, and we water-baptized 926 people in a public swimming pool! Little did we know that we were just getting started, but as you will see in tomorrow’s Sparkling Gem, God had plans that we were unaware of when that week of meetings began!

So have YOU ever received water baptism?

I am amazed at how many believers think that water baptism is optional because Scripture never presents it as an option. Certainly it doesn’t save us, but it is, in fact, the first step of obedience for a believer who wants to become a disciple. Jesus commanded that we receive water baptism in Matthew 28:19.

Since Jesus spoke of water baptism as the first serious step for a believer, it is essential that you not simply skip over this step, as so many people have done. I have seen over many years of ministry that people who neglect this divine command tend to let other vital requirements of their Christian walk slip through the cracks. Don’t let this describe you. You’ve been washed in the blood of Jesus, and if you haven’t already been water-baptized, it’s time for you to go under the waters of baptism to declare publicly that the old man is gone and that you are now “dyed” in the blood of Jesus Christ! Don’t you want to do what Jesus has asked you to do?

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I see more clearly than ever the significance of water baptism as a powerful demonstration of my spiritual transformation in Christ. Father, just as Jesus publicly obeyed You when He suffered and died to purchase my redemption, I obey the Lord’s command to publicly proclaim through the waters of baptism that I have been washed in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb. I thank You that because Jesus died in my place and You raised Him to new life, I take every step to demonstrate that I am a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Clothed in His righteousness alone, baptism symbolizes that I’ve been dipped and dyed in the crimson flood of Jesus’ blood as I gratefully proclaim: I am a child of God!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away and through Him, all things have become new. Crucified with Christ, I follow the Lord into baptism to bury my old man in a watery grave. And when I rise up, it is as a demonstration of how Jesus saves.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. At what age were you water baptized? What do you remember about that event? Were there changes you witnessed in your life as a result of publicly proclaiming your faith in Christ with the act of water baptism?
2. If you have never been water baptized, why not? What would prevent you from obeying the Lord in this very elementary first step of obedience? Did you inadvertently skip it because no one told you it was important?
3. Do you attend a church that regularly baptizes people? If not, why do you attend a church that doesn’t obey a command of Jesus that is so clear and simple? If your church doesn’t regularly baptize people, is it possible that you should ask your pastor for the church’s position on water baptism?

Led Like a Sheep To Its Slaughter

And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
— Matthew 26:57 

After Jesus demonstrated His phenomenal power, He permitted the soldiers to take Him into custody. In a certain sense, this was simply an act, for He had already vividly proven that they didn’t have adequate power to take Him. Just one word and He could put them on their backs, yet the Bible says that they “laid hold on Jesus” and “led him away.”

The words “laid hold” are from the Greek word kratos. In this case, this word means to seize, to take hold of, to firmly grip, and to apprehend. Used in this context, it primarily carries the idea of making a forceful arrest. Once Jesus demonstrated that He could not be taken by force, He then allowed the soldiers to seize Him.

Once Jesus was in their hands, Matthew 26:57 tells us that they “led him away.” This phrase comes from the Greek word apago — the same word used to picture a shepherd who ties a rope about the neck of his sheep and then leads it down the path to where it needs to go. This word pictures exactly what happened to Jesus that night in the Garden of Gethsemane. He wasn’t gagged and dragged to the high priest as one who was putting up a fight or resisting arrest. Instead, the Greek word apago plainly tells us that the soldiers lightly slipped a rope about Jesus’ neck and led Him down the path as He followed behind, just like a sheep being led by a shepherd. Thus, the Roman soldiers and temple police led Him as a sheep to slaughter, just as Isaiah 53:7 had prophesied many centuries earlier. Specifically on that night, however, the soldiers led Jesus to Caiaphas the high priest.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

Let’s see what we can learn about Caiaphas. We know that Caiaphas was appointed high priest in the year 18 AD. As high priest, he became so prominent in Israel that even when his term as high priest ended, he wielded great influence in the business of the nation, including its spiritual, political, and financial affairs. Flavius Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, reported that five of Caiaphas’ sons later served in the office of the high priest.

As a young man, Caiaphas married Anna, the daughter of Annas, who was serving as high priest at that time. Annas served as Israel’s high priest for nine years. The title of high priest had fallen into the jurisdiction of this family, and they held this high-ranking position firmly in their grip, passing it among the various members of the family and thus keeping the reins of power in their hands. It was a spiritual monarchy. The holders of this coveted title retained great political power, controlled public opinion, and owned vast wealth.

After Annas passed the title of high priest to his son-in-law Caiaphas, Annas continued to exercise control over the nation through his son-in-law. This influence is evident in Luke 3:2, where the Bible says, “Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests.…” It was impossible for two people to serve as high priests at the same time; nonetheless, Annas held his former title and much of his former authority. He was so influential to the very end of Jesus’ ministry that the Roman soldiers and temple police who arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane led Jesus to Annas first before delivering him to Caiaphas, the current high priest (John 18:13).

Both Annas and Caiaphas were Sadducees, a group of religious leaders who were more liberal in doctrine and had a tendency not to believe in supernatural events. In fact, they regarded most supernatural occurrences in the Old Testament as myths.

The constant reports of Jesus’ supernatural powers and miracles, as well as the reputation He was gaining throughout the nation, caused Caiaphas, Annas, and the other members of the Sanhedrin to view Jesus as a threat. These religious leaders were control freaks in the truest sense of the word, and it was an affront to them that Jesus’ ministry was beyond their control and jurisdiction. Then they heard the verified report that Lazarus had actually been resurrected from the dead! This incident drove them over the edge, causing them to decide to do away with Jesus by committing murder.

These leaders were so filled with rage about Lazarus’ resurrection and were so worried about Jesus’ growing popularity that they held a secret council to determine whether or not Jesus had to be killed. Once that decision was made, Caiaphas was the one who was principally responsible for scheming how to bring His death to pass.

As high priest and the official head of the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas was also responsible for arranging Jesus’ illegal trial before the Jewish authorities. At first, he charged Jesus with the sin of blasphemy. However, because Jesus wouldn’t contest the accusation Caiaphas brought against Him, the high priest then delivered Him to the Roman authorities, who found Jesus guilty of treason for claiming to be the king of the Jews.

Caiaphas was so powerful that even after the death of Jesus, he continued to persecute believers in the Early Church. For instance, after the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate was healed (see Acts 3), Peter and John were seized and brought before the council (Acts 4:6). Caiaphas was the high priest at this time and continued to serve as high priest until he was removed in 36 AD.

This emphatically tells us that Caiaphas was also the high priest who interrogated Stephen in Acts 7:1. In addition, he was the high priest we read about who gave Saul of Tarsus written permission that authorized him to arrest believers in Jerusalem and later in Damascus (Acts 9:1,2).

Because of the political events in the year 36 AD, Caiaphas was finally removed from the office of high priest. Of the nineteen men who served as high priests in the first century, this evil man ruled the longest. The title of high priest, however, remained in the family after Caiaphas stepped down, this time passed on to his brother-in-law Jonathan, another son of Annas.

Consider this: Jesus had never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21); no guile had ever been found in His mouth (1 Peter 2:22); and His entire life was devoted to doing good and to healing all who were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). Therefore, it seems entirely unjust that He would be led like a sheep into the midst of the spiritual vipers who were ruling in Jerusalem. According to the flesh, one could have argued that this wasn’t fair; however, Jesus never questioned the Father’s will or balked at the assignment that was required of Him.

The apostle Peter wrote this regarding Jesus: “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). The word “committed” is the Greek word paradidomi, a compound of the words para and didomi. The word para means alongside and carries the idea of coming close alongside to someone or to some object. The word didomi means to give. When compounded together, it presents the idea of entrusting something to someone. The prefix para suggests that this is someone to whom you have drawn very close. It can be translated to commit, to yield, to commend, to transmit, to deliver, or to hand something over to someone else.

The Lord Jesus yielded Himself to the Father who judges righteously when He found Himself in this unjust situation. In that difficult hour, He drew close to the Father and fully entrusted Himself and His future into the hands of the Father. Jesus knew He was in the Father’s will, so He   chose to entrust Himself into the Father’s care and to leave the results in His control.

If you are in a situation that seems unfair or unjust and there is nothing you can do to change it, you must draw as close to the Father as you can and commit yourself into His loving care. You know He wants the best for you, even though you have found yourself in a predicament that seems so undeserved. Your options are to get angry and bitter and turn sour toward life, or to choose to believe that God is in control and working on your behalf, even if you don’t see anything good happening at the present moment.

When Jesus was arrested and taken to Caiaphas to be severely mistreated, there was no escape for Him. He had no choice but to trust the Father. What other choice do you have today?

My Prayer for Today

Lord, in times when I find myself stuck in a situation I don’t like or enjoy, help me lift my eyes and look to You for strength. I know that You love me and are looking out for my life, so in those moments when I am tempted to be nervous or afraid, I ask You to help me rest in the knowledge that You will take care of me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I declare by faith that I am kept by the peace of God. Even when I find myself in situations that seem unjust, undeserving, and unfair, God is secretly working to turn things around for my good. He loves me; He cares for me; and He wants to see the very best for my life. Therefore, I entrust my job, my income, my marriage, my children, my health, and everything else in my life into the hands of my Heavenly Father!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Have you ever found yourself trapped in a situation that seemed unfair? What did you do to stay in peace and to avoid fear and anxiety?

2. If you were counseling a friend who was caught up in an undeserved situation, what steps would you suggest that your friend take in order to stay in peace?

3. If you were to lead someone in a prayer of commitment to God, how would you word that particular prayer? Why don’t you take a few minutes to pray this same prayer for yourself?

Who Was the Naked Boy In the Garden of Gethsemane?

And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: and he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
— Mark 14:51,52

Just about the time Jesus was finished healing the ear of the servant of the high priest named Malchus, the Gospel of Mark tells us a naked young man was found in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14:51,52 says, “And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: and he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.”

Who was this young man? Why was he following Jesus? Why was he naked? Why was he draped in a linen cloth instead of wearing normal clothes? And why was the Holy Spirit so careful to include this unique story in Mark’s account of the Gospel? What is the significance of this event?

The key to identifying this young man lies in the “linen cloth” he had lightly draped about his body. The particular Greek word that is used for this “linen cloth” is used in only one other event in the New Testament — to depict the “linen cloth” in which the body of Jesus was wrapped for burial (see Matthew 27:59, Mark 15:46, and Luke 23:53). Thus, the only reference we have for this kind of cloth in the New Testament is that of a burial shroud used for covering a dead body in the grave.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

Some scholars have tried to say this naked young man was Mark himself. They assume that when Mark heard about Jesus’ arrest, he quickly jumped out of bed and dashed to the Garden of Gethsemane. But the Garden was remotely located, and no one could have run there so quickly. It is simply a physical impossibility.

Others have speculated that Mark threw off his clothes in an attempt to shock and distract the soldiers so Jesus could escape. This idea is preposterous. Others have tried with similar vain attempts to assert that this naked young man was the apostle John. But why would John be walking naked in the Garden of Gethsemane?

As I said, the answer to this naked young man’s identity lies in the cloth he had wrapped around his body. You see, when a body was prepared for burial, it was washed, ceremonially cleaned, and buried naked in a linen cloth exactly like the one described here in the Gospel of Mark. Furthermore, the Garden of Gethsemane was situated on the side of the Mount of Olives. Toward the base of that mount is a heavily populated cemetery, with many of its graves going back to the time of Jesus.

When Jesus said, “I AM,” the power that was released was so tremendous that it knocked the soldiers backward (see April 8). But evidently it also caused a rumbling in the local cemetery! When that blast of power was released, a young boy, draped in a linen burial cloth in accordance with the tradition of that time, crawled out from his tomb — raised from the dead!

The reason he “followed” Jesus was to get a glimpse of the One who had resurrected him. The word “followed” here means to continuously follow. This tells us that this resurrected young man trailed the soldiers as they took Jesus through the Garden on the way to His trial. When the soldiers discovered the young man who was following Jesus, they tried to apprehend him. But when they reached out to grab him, he broke free from their grip and fled, leaving the linen cloth in their possession.

Today, I want you to reflect again on the amazing power that was active at the time of Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. He later told Pilate, “…Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above…” (John 19:11). Indeed, there was so much power present that no one could have withstood Jesus had He chosen to resist. Jesus was not taken by the will of man; He was delivered by the will of the Father.

Think how marvelous it is that Jesus freely gave His life for you and me! So much power was at work in Him even at the time of His arrest that no one had sufficient power to forcibly take Him. The only reason Jesus was taken was that He chose to willingly lay down His life for you and for me. So take a little time today to stop and thank Him for being so willing to go to the Cross to take your sin on Himself !

My Prayer for Today

Lord, You are so amazing! How can I ever thank You enough for coming into this world to give Your life for me? I’m sorry for the times I get so busy that I fail to remember the incredible love You willfully demonstrated to me by going to the Cross. You didn’t have to do it, but You did it for me. I thank You from the depths of my heart for loving me so completely!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I boldly declare that God values me! He loves me so much that He sent Jesus into the world to take my place on the Cross. He took my sin; He carried my sickness; and He bore my shame. Because of Jesus’ work of redemption on the Cross, today I am saved, I am healed, and I am not ashamed!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. When you consider how much of God’s power was available to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, how does this affect your level of expectation for His power to work in your life right now?

2. Have you ever witnessed God’s power working mightily in your life when no natural help was available? If so, when was it, and what happened?

3. What did you learn from today’s Sparkling Gem that was brand new to you?

And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
— John 6:2

Today I want to talk to you about miracles and the effect that God’s power has on people’s lives. Throughout our many years of ministry, Denise and I have seen countless miracles, and we learned long ago that miracles always have a profound effect on people! Let me relate to you an example that occurred in the early years of our ministry abroad just after the breakup of the Soviet Union in the year 1991.

During those tumultuous times, that entire region of the world was facing many serious economic struggles. Food supplies were rare; gasoline was almost nonexistent; and medicines and medical supplies were in short supply. Well-trained doctors could diagnose a patient’s sickness, but people remained untreated because no medications were available. In fact, even basic medications such as aspirin were a treasure because they were so hard to obtain.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

In the midst of this dismal state of affairs, Denise and I announced on television that we were going to hold a series of miracle services in Riga, Latvia. These would be our first meetings in Latvia, and we wanted to facilitate a powerful demonstration of God’s power in this city. For two weeks prior to those big meetings, we broadcast advertisements for the miracle services many times a day on television. We had no idea what kind of effect the commercials would have, but we prayed that people would come to the meetings to hear the Gospel, receive a miraculous touch from God, and come to personally know Jesus Christ.

The long-anticipated day finally arrived, and we drove to the city to begin our series of meetings. When we arrived at the large rented auditorium, thousands of people were already in line, waiting to get into the building for the meeting. As Denise and I stood on the stage and looked out over the audience in that large hockey arena, we were stunned to see nearly 8,000 people! Many of these were sick people who had no means of obtaining desperately needed medicines and had therefore turned to the power of God as their only hope for physical healing.

Night after night, we saw mighty miracles occur before our eyes. Blind eyes were opened; epileptics were healed; and deaf ears were unstopped. And the greatest miracle of all was the hundreds of people who came forward to give their lives to Jesus at the conclusion of the meetings each night! By the end of that week, more than 7,000 people prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord. Then on the last night of those meetings, we witnessed one of the greatest miracles we have ever seen in our ministry.

Nineteen years earlier, a man in that crowd had become paralyzed from the waist down after falling from the roof of a house. On the first day of the meetings, we saw this man as he hobbled toward the stage on his crutches to give his life to Jesus. On the second day of the meetings, he came to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. On the fourth day, he showed up at the local swimming pool where we were baptizing people, and he was water-baptized. If nothing else happened, his life had already been completely transformed by the power of God.

But on the last night of the meetings, just as we closed the final service, I heard a noise to my left and turned to see what the commotion was all about. This paralyzed man had released his faith and thrown his arms into the air — and as his crutches hit the ground, the lower part of his body had come alive! Now he was standing with no crutches to hold him up.

Because of where the man was seated, the entire crowd turned to watch as he began to take his first steps in nineteen years. He took one step, then another, and then another — and with each step, he moved faster and faster. Soon he was running back and forth all across the front of the vast crowd that was gasping with shock at the miracle they were witnessing. The entire crowd saw this miracle take place!

After that remarkable event, I gave an invitation for the lost, and more people gave their lives to Jesus Christ that night than in any of the other services. Years later, people still recall that amazing miracle, and as a result of that miracle and the other miracles that took place during those meetings, multitudes believed in Jesus. Many of these people hadn’t previously believed in the existence of God at all, but because of these miraculous demonstrations, they gave their lives to Jesus Christ!

God has always used miracles to attract people to Jesus Christ. Many such examples can be found in Scripture, but one of the greatest demonstrations of this truth is recorded in John 6:2, which says, “And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.”

The word “great” in this verse is a translation of the Greek word polus, which refers to a great numeric quantity. This tells us that the crowd following Jesus was really huge. In addition, the Greek word for “multitude” is ochlos, which always describes a massive crowd. By using these two words back to back, John was emphasizing that the crowd following Jesus wasn’t simply large — it was an enormously massive group of people!

This verse goes on to tell us that this group of people “followed” Jesus. The Greek word used here denotes continuous, unbroken action. Taking this into account, the first part of this verse could be translated, “And a great multitude kept on following and following and following him.…” You see, there was something about Jesus’ ministry that attracted these throngs of people. They didn’t want to be away from Him, not even for a moment! They just kept on following and following and following Him everywhere He went!

Why was this massive multitude following Jesus? The verse tells us: “…because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.” The word “because” is the word hoti, and it points to the reason the crowd was following Jesus. It says they were following Him “…because they saw his miracles.…”

I want you to look at the word “saw” in this verse. This word means to be a spectator, to notice, or to watch in full detail. Just as one would sit and watch a play from a seat in the theater, this crowd watched intently to see every miracle Jesus was performing. Like spectators in a theater who are mesmerized by an amazing show, they didn’t want to miss one act in this supernatural performance, so they followed Jesus to get a close-up look at the miracles that were constantly occurring in His ministry.

The verse goes on to say, “…They saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.” The word “miracles” used here actually comes from the Greek word semeion. In the Greek world of the First Century AD, this word semeion signified the official written notice that announced the final verdict of a court, the signature or seal applied to documents to guarantee their authenticity, or a sign that marked key locations in a city.

Taking this into account, we find these miracles were the final verdict or proof that God was with Jesus. When that crowd saw the miracles, they knew those supernatural acts were God’s stamp of approval on Jesus’ ministry. These superhuman deeds were the guarantee that Jesus was anointed by God. The miracles He performed were like signs that declared, “God is here! You are in the right place!” They were comparable to a signature or a seal that authenticated and guaranteed that God was with Him. That’s why these followers didn’t want to be away from Jesus. They knew Jesus had the stamp of God’s approval!

John 6:2 even gives us an idea of what kind of miracles primarily caught the attention of the crowd. It says, “And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.” The words “he did” come from the Greek word poieo, which often conveys the idea of creativity. This is important because in this context, poieo gives the suggestion of creative miracles. The use of this Greek word implies that extraordinary miracles of a creative nature were regularly occurring and that these miracles in particular were catching the attention of the crowd.

Furthermore, John recorded that Jesus was healing those who were “diseased.” The word “diseased” comes from the Greek word astheneo. This word doesn’t refer to people with minor ailments such as the common cold; rather, it depicts people who are physically frail or feeble due to some bodily condition. Their physical condition is so serious that it has rendered them unable to move about freely. These were feeble, frail, broken people.

However, when Jesus walked the earth, He carried the anointing to heal the sick — and He regularly healed people who were physically frail or feeble due to some bodily condition. The health of these people had deteriorated to the point that they had become weak and frail — but once Jesus touched them, they were restored to health!

Taking all these words into consideration, an interpretative translation of John 6:2 could read:

“A massive multitude continually followed Jesus because they were constantly seeing the mighty signs He was performing on those who were sick. Those whose health was so deteriorated that they were physically frail were recipients of these mighty deeds that authenticated the fact that God was with Jesus!”

Those who followed Jesus during His ministry on this earth knew that something wonderful was always happening. People’s lives were being changed; their health was being restored; and their purpose in life was being renewed. Jesus was the best thing that had ever happened to every person who ever came in contact with Him!

And Jesus is still the best thing that has ever happened to every person who comes in contact with Him today! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), so why don’t you go ahead and believe for miracles to start working in your life as they did in Jesus’ life? When people see those miracles and experience the power of God, it will open their hearts to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Miracles will get their attention, and then you can tell them about Jesus!

Think of the profound effect that a single miracle would have on your circle of friends and the people you know. God wants to work through you! As a believer, you are anointed and commissioned to lay hands on the sick, and you have the right to expect to see those sick people get well. That’s God’s promise in Mark 16:18, so boldly claim it by faith and reach out to let His power operate through you to others!

Having witnessed so many miracles in our ministry, I want to encourage you to believe God for miracles in your own life and in the lives of those around you. When people see and experience the power of God, it makes them want to follow Jesus, just like the crowds who followed Him in John 6:2. Miracles are God’s way of shouting, “I am here and I love you!”

It is sad that many people think Jesus’ miracle-working power is only a thing of the past, because He is the same today as He was then. He is both able and willing now to do the same things He did when He walked the earth 2,000 years ago. Jesus hasn’t changed. He wants to touch, heal, and restore people. That’s why I want to encourage you to make room in your life for Jesus to perform His miracle-working, life-changing ministry through you!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that Jesus came to earth to reveal Your will and to show us Your ways. Just as Jesus went about manifesting Your goodness by destroying the works of the devil, He is the same — yesterday, today, and forever. Father, it’s Your goodness and loving-kindness that leads people to repentance. I make myself available to You as a vessel through whom Jesus can manifest Himself to others. Jesus was the best thing that ever happened to every person who ever came in contact with Him. Holy Spirit, bring people into contact with Jesus through me as You use my life. Demonstrate Your miracle power through my life to open hearts and change lives. Make me a vessel You can flow through to cause people’s health to be restored and their hope to be renewed by a personal encounter with You.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I give place for Jesus Christ to perform His miracle-working, life-changing ministry through me. When Jesus walked the earth, He went about doing good, healing all, and destroying the works of the devil. I am anointed and commissioned by Him to lay my hands on the sick in His name and to see them recover. That is God’s promise in Mark 16:18, and I boldly claim it by faith as I yield to His compassion and reach out to others with confident expectation to see His miracle-working power released to others through my life.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. What miracle do you need in your own life right now? What touch of God do you need in your family? What supernatural provision do you need in your job, your business, or your finances? If you will release your faith in Jesus, He will step in and work miracles in any situation you’re facing!
2. Can you think of people in your life who are in desperate need of a miracle? Have you asked the Lord what part He may want you to take in releasing His miracle-working power through you into their lives or situations?
3. Have you prayed with those people about that need, expecting God to move on their behalf to see that miracle manifest? If you haven’t, why not? Let the love and compassion of God flow through you as you pray for these individuals — always with faith believing you have received the answer!

Twelve Legions of Angels

Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
— Matthew 26:53

How much strength do you think one angel possesses? Today I’d like for us to consider the full impact of Jesus’ words in Matthew 26:53, where He said, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?”

Let’s look at three questions:

• What is a “legion”?
• How many angels would there be in twelve legions?
• What would be the combined strength of this number of angels?

It is important to know the answers to these questions, because the answers reveal the full might that was available to Jesus had He requested supernatural help in the Garden of Gethsemane. Actually, when we take into account the power that was already demonstrated in the Garden and then add the potential assistance and impact of twelve legions of angels, it becomes obvious that there was no human force on earth strong enough to take Jesus against His will. The only way He was going to be taken was if He allowed Himself to be taken! This is why He later told Pilate, “…Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above…” (John 19:11).

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

Let’s begin with our first question: What is a “legion”? The word “legion” is a military term that was taken from the Roman army. A legion denoted a group of at least 6,000 Roman soldiers, although the total number could be higher. This means that anytime we read about a legion of anything, we can know it always refers to at least 6,000 of something.

An amazing example of this is found in Mark 5:9, where the Bible tells us that the demon-possessed man of the Gadarenes had a legion of demons. That means this man had an infestation of at least 6,000 demons residing inside him!

Let’s now contemplate the second question: How many angels would there be in twelve legions? Since the word “legion” refers to at least 6,000, it means a legion of angels would be at least 6,000 angels. However, Jesus said the Father would give Him “more than” twelve legions of angels if He requested it. Because it would be pure speculation to try to figure out how many “more than” twelve legions would be, let’s just stick with the figure of twelve legions to see how many angels that entails.

One legion is 6,000 angels, so if you simply multiply that number by twelve, you’ll discover that twelve legions of angels would include a minimum of 72,000 angels. But Jesus said the Father would give Him more than twelve legions of angels; therefore, you can conclude that there were potentially many additional thousands of angels available to Jesus the night He was arrested!

Finally, let’s look at our third question: What would be the combined strength in this number of angels? Angels are powerful! In fact, Isaiah 37:36 records that a single angel obliterated 185,000 men in one night. So if a single angel had that kind of power, how much combined strength would there be in twelve legions of angels?

Since a single angel was able to obliterate 185,000 men in one night, it would mean the combined strength in a legion of 6,000 angels would be enough to destroy 1,110,000,000 men (that is, one billion, one hundred ten million men) — and that’s just the combined power in one legion of angels!

Now let’s multiply this same number 185,000 by twelve legions, or at least 72,000 angels, which was the number of angels Jesus said was available to Him on the night of His arrest. When we do, we find that there was enough combined strength at Jesus’ disposal to have annihilated at least 13,320,000,000 men (that is, thirteen billion, three hundred twenty million men) — which is more than twice the number of people living on the earth right now!

Jesus didn’t need Peter’s little sword that night. Had He chosen to do so, Jesus could have summoned 72,000 magnificent, mighty, dazzling, glorious, overwhelmingly powerful angels to the Garden to obliterate the Roman soldiers and the temple police who had come to arrest Him. In fact, the combined strength in twelve legions of angels could have wiped out the entire human race! But Jesus didn’t call on the supernatural help that was available to Him. Why? Because He knew it was time for Him to voluntarily lay down His life for the sin of the human race.

Learn a lesson from Jesus and from the apostle Peter. Jesus didn’t need Peter’s undersized, insignificant sword to deal with His situation. What good would a single sword have been against all the troops assembled in the Garden that night anyway? Peter’s actions were a perfect example of how the flesh tries in vain to solve its own problems but cannot. Jesus had all the power that was required to conquer those troops.

As you face your own challenges in life, always keep in mind that Jesus has the power to fix any problem you’ll ever come across. Before you jump in and make things worse by taking matters into your own hands, remember the story of Peter! The next time you’re tempted to “grab a sword and start swinging,” take a few minutes to remind yourself that Jesus can handle the problem without your intervention. Before you do anything else, pray and ask the Lord what you are supposed to do. Then after you receive your answer and follow His instructions, just watch His supernatural power swing into action to solve the dilemma you are facing!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I am so glad You have the power to put an end to my problems! So many times I’ve acted just like Peter, swinging furiously in the strength of my own flesh as I’ve tried to solve my problems without Your help. Forgive me for wasting so much time and energy! Today I ask You to speak to my heart and tell me what I am supposed to do; then help me follow Your instructions to the letter. Give me the patience to wait while You supernaturally work behind the scenes to resolve my questions.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I boldly and joyfully affirm that Jesus Christ has all the power needed to fix my problems! I am not smart enough by myself to figure out how to get out of my messes, so I turn to Him to give me wisdom, insight, power, and the answers I need to get from where I am to where I need to be. His power works mightily through me, and that divine power is being released right now to tackle the challenges I face in life and bring me to a peaceful place of resolution in every situation.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Has there ever been a moment in your life when you got in a hurry and acted too fast — and then later regretted your actions?

2. When you candidly examine your life, do you find that the same problems keep resurfacing again and again? Does this indicate that you are trying to solve those problems in the strength of your flesh instead of relying on the power of Jesus to help you?

3. How does today’s Sparkling Gem cause you to look differently at your challenges? What are you going to do differently as a result of what you have read and learned today?

…If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
— Mark 9:23

Never underestimate the power of faith! What you believe determines what you receive, so make sure you are thinking and believing correctly.

Mark 9:14-29 tells the account of a deeply distressed father who learned the power of faith first-hand on the day he came to Jesus with his son, who was severely demon-possessed. This boy wasn’t just demonically affected — he was being violently attacked by demon spirits that had repeatedly tried to kill him by throwing him into both fire and water. As far as the father was concerned, this situation was irreversible and impossible to cure. So in desperation, he brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, but they were unable to help the man. After repeated, unsuccessful attempts to cast the demons out of this child, the disciples finally brought the boy to Jesus to see if He could cast them out.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

In New Testament times, demon possession was considered to be the most impossible malady to cure. People, including religious leaders, were so powerless in the presence of demons that demon-possessed individuals were often chained up and left in remote conditions. A famous example of this in Scripture is the demoniac who was kept in the remote region of Gadara (see Mark 5:1-20). However, when this father in Mark 9:23 brought his severely tormented child to Jesus, he didn’t see his son’s condition as an impossible situation at all — because he believed Jesus had power over those demons. Jesus responded to this man’s faith and said, “…If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). Because the father believed, Jesus cast the demons out of his son and returned the boy to his father as a normal child (see Mark 9:24-28).

That day Jesus taught this principle: If one can simply believe, anything is possible — even setting a possessed person free from demon spirits. Wherever faith is present, the impossible is doable!

This verse always makes me think of all the times people have presented me with seemingly impossible odds and said, “Rick, no one has ever been able to do what you’re attempting to do. We know several who tried to do it in the past, but they failed and ended up in a mess. So be careful because it is unlikely that you’ll be able to achieve such a huge undertaking!”

Over the years, that kind of gloomy, pessimistic prediction has been made to my wife Denise and me more times than we can count. With nearly everything that we’ve ever done, someone has tried to tell us the task was impossible. But in every case, they were wrong. I want to say it again — wherever faith is present, the impossible is doable.

When I hear someone say something is impossible, I inwardly laugh, because I personally know that we serve a God who does the impossible! Jesus said, “…If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). Jesus made it plain — if we will believe, all things will be possible to us!

The word “possible” is the Greek word dunata, and it expresses the idea of ability, power, one who is able and capable, or one who is competent. The word dunata shares the same root with the word dunamis, which is the Greek word for power. This emphatically tells us that there is a power that causes one to become able, capable, or competent for any task. When this explosive power comes on the scene and begins to operate in a person’s life, it doesn’t matter how unfit or unqualified he was before — this power supernaturally energizes him and makes him capable for the task set before him.

But who is the type of person who will accomplish impossible feats? Jesus clearly answered that question. He said, “…All things are possible to him that believeth.” The word “believeth” is the Greek word pistis, meaning faith. However, the tense used in this verse pictures a person who is believing. This is not someone who once had an experience of faith in the past; rather, it is a person who is presently believing right now. He didn’t just believe in the past — he is a believer. His faith is actively reaching forward right now to grab hold of what God has promised. His faith is habitually, constantly, consistently, and unwaveringly straining forward to take hold of that desired goal he sees before him!

Faith is the spark that ignites the impossible and causes it to become possible. When a person’s faith is activated, it sets supernatural power in motion that enables that person to do what he normally would never be able to do! This is why Jesus said, “…If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Once faith has been activated and remains activated, a person becomes enabled and empowered so that he is capable and competent to do whatever it is God has told him to do. That person can even do the impossible!

In my particular case, this means:

• When I receive a new mandate from God to push forward into new and uncharted territory, I look at the project from every angle, and then immediately begin renewing my mind to believe that I can do anything God has asked me to do. Even what seems to be impossible will be possible to me!
• If He has told me to do something — regardless of how big or how impossible it seems to the natural mind — I begin to tell myself that I can do it and that my eyes will see it come to pass.
• After all, if it couldn’t be done, why would Jesus ask me to do it?

The fact is, in God all things are possible. Therefore, it’s up to you and me to get our thinking in line with God’s Word. And as we build up our faith to the level it needs to be for the new challenge, we experience an explosion of supernatural power in us that literally carries us over into the realm where impossible things becomes possible!

• Jesus made it very clear that we receive exactly what we believe.
• If I believe I can do the impossible, I will do it.
• But if I believe I cannot do the impossible, I will not do it.
• When I look at those who have warned me about all the things they thought couldn’t be done, most of those people have done nothing.
• Because we dared to believe, today we are standing in the middle of many accomplished “impossible” assignments that others said could never happen.
• Wherever faith is, the impossible is doable!

Until that father in Mark 9 met Jesus, he had probably been surrounded with a group of people who gave him no hope and demonstrated no faith. Apparently even the disciples had a hard time believing that little boy could be set free. But as soon as that father got around Jesus and heard Jesus speaking words of faith, he believed — and as soon as the father believed, it was just a matter of minutes before that son was completely and totally set free. Once faith is activated, it often doesn’t take long for the impossible to become possible!

So today I want to encourage you to believe that all things are possible. Push that doubt and unbelief out of the way — and if you must, find a new group of friends who will get into a position of faith with you. Then release your faith for the impossible to become possible!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I believe Your Word! I will not listen to the naysayers who haven’t accomplished anything. They want to halt and entangle me with their fear and unbelief. It doesn’t matter how unqualified I may have been, Your explosive, supernatural power will energize me and make me capable. Faith comes when I hear Your Word, and I am determined to release my faith through obedient action. Regardless of the difficulty or impossibility before me, I know that when faith is present, anything is doable. Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me instantly discern when someone is not in agreement with You so I won’t allow their polluting doubt to sink down into my heart. I am determined to push doubt and unbelief out of the way. I believe God, and it will be exactly as He spoke it to me. I believe God, and all things are possible to me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that my faith is not just past tense — I am a believer this very moment! My faith is actively reaching forward right now to grab hold of what God has promised. My faith is unwaveringly straining forward to take hold of that desired goal set before me! My faith ignites the impossible, causing it to become possible, and sets supernatural power in motion that enables me to do what others thought I would never be able to do. With confident expectation, I say it out loud repeatedly: I believe God, and all things are possible to me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you ever attempted to do something that others said was impossible? How did their words affect you? Did they encourage you to believe or did they drag you down into unbelief and defeat?
2. Who is speaking into your life right now? When you look at the friends who speak into your life, are they people who have challenged the impossible and done it, or are they people who have done nothing and are telling you that you are going to do nothing too?
3. If the impossible happens where faith is activated, what is likely going to happen in your life if things continue the way they are going right now?

Jesus Cleans Up Peter’s Mess!

When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered, and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.
— Luke 22:49-51

Have you ever had a time when it nearly broke your heart to see what a mess a friend had made of his life? Because you loved your friend so much, you were willing to do anything necessary to assist him in getting his life back in order again. Although you knew it would be difficult, you were nonetheless willing to step into his disorder, chaos, and confusion to help him because you knew he’d never get out of his mess by himself.

Let’s see what Jesus did for Peter that night in the Garden of Gethsemane after Peter chopped off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. There is something we can learn from the example Jesus gave us that night.

What Peter did to Malchus was not only scandalous — it was against the law and therefore punishable. Peter’s action was criminal! Peter’s wrongdoing was sufficient to ruin his entire life, since he could have been sentenced for physically injuring a fellow citizen. And this wasn’t just any citizen. As the servant of the high priest, Malchus was an extremely well-known man in the city of Jerusalem. Peter certainly would have been imprisoned for injuring a person of such stature.

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Jesus had just been sweating blood from the intense spiritual battle He fought in prayer in the Garden. Then He had received the kiss of betrayal from a friend and was therefore facing the prospect of the Cross and three days in the grave. Now a new problem had been thrust upon Him. Because of Peter’s impetuous, unauthorized behavior, Jesus had to put everything on hold for a moment so He could step forward and fix the mess Peter had created!

As blood poured from the side of Malchus’ head and dripped from the blade Peter held in his hand, Jesus asked the soldiers, “…Suffer ye thus far…” (Luke 22:51). This was the equivalent of saying, “Let Me just do one more thing before you take Me!”

Then Jesus reached out to Malchus and “…touched his ear, and healed him.” Rather than allow Himself to be taken away while Peter was still subject to arrest, imprisonment, and possible execution, Jesus stopped the entire process to fix the mess Peter made that night.

The Bible says that Jesus “touched” the servant. The Greek word for “touch” is aptomai, a word that means to firmly grasp or to hold tightly. This is very important, for it lets us know that Jesus didn’t just lightly touch Malchus; He firmly grabbed the servant’s head and held him tightly.

This is important because it tells us the tenacity with which Jesus prayed! When He laid His hands on people, they knew that hands had been laid on them!

The Bible doesn’t tell us whether Jesus touched the stump that remained from the severed ear and grew a new ear or grabbed the old ear from the ground and miraculously set it back in its place. Regardless of how the miracle occurred, however, the word aptomai (“touched”) lets us know that Jesus was aggressive in the way He touched the man.

As a result of Jesus’ touch, Malchus was completely “healed” (v. 51). The word “healed” is the Greek word iaomai, which means to cure, to restore, or to heal. Jesus completely restored Malchus’ ear before the soldiers bound Him and led Him out of the Garden.

That night in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ very words knocked 300 to 600 soldiers off their feet and flat on their backs. He didn’t need Peter’s help. He didn’t request Peter’s intervention. Nevertheless, Peter suddenly jumped in the middle of God’s business and tried to create a revolt. Yet rather than walk off and leave Peter in the mess he had made by his own doings, Jesus stopped everything that was happening and intervened on his behalf. Jesus took the time to heal Malchus’ ear for two primary reasons: 1) because He is a Healer and 2) because He didn’t want Peter to be arrested for his impulsive actions.

The next time you think you are too busy or too important to get involved in a friend’s problem, remember this example that Jesus gave us on the night of His arrest. That night Jesus had a lot on His mind, but He still stopped everything to help a friend. He could have said, “Peter, you’ve made this mess by yourself; now you can fix it by yourself.” But it was clear that Peter would never get out of this trouble without assistance, so Jesus stepped in to help Peter get things back in order again.

When you are tempted to be judgmental about other people’s self-imposed problems, it would be good for you to remember the many times God’s mercy has intervened to save you from messy situations that you created yourself. Even though you deserved to get in trouble, God loved you enough to come right alongside you and help you pull things together so you could get out of that mess. Now whenever you see others in trouble, you have the opportunity to be an extension of God’s mercy to them.

Put everything on hold for a few minutes so you can reach out to a friend in trouble; then do whatever you can to help restore the situation. If this was important enough for Jesus to do, then you have time to do it too! Make it a priority today to be a faithful friend to the end, just as Jesus was to Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I am so thankful for the many times You have stepped into my life to clean up the messes I’ve created by myself. Had I been more patient and waited on You, I could have avoided the problems that stole my time, my thoughts, my energies, and my money. Forgive me for being impetuous, and help me learn to wait on You. When I see others make the same mistakes I’ve made, help me remember the times You have helped me so I can respond with a heart filled with compassion and not with judgment, reaching out to help them recover from the mistakes they have made!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I am merciful and compassionate to people who have messed up their lives. Their problems are my opportunities to allow God to use me in their lives by helping them recover from their mistakes. God loves these people so much that He wants to send me alongside them to assist, teach, and do whatever I can to help them get back on their feet again. I have been so touched by God’s mercy myself that judgment and condemnation cannot operate inside me! Rather than lecture people about their mistakes so they feel even worse about what they have done, I am God’s mercy extended to support them in their time of trouble!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Can you recollect a time in your life when you were so impatient with what was happening in your life that you took matters in your own hands to speed them up a bit — only to find out that you made things much worse?

2. Can you think of other people who need God to supernaturally intervene to fix the messes they have made? Have you asked God if He wants to use you to help them find a way out of this difficult time they are facing right now?

3. When you consider Jesus’ attitude toward those who are undeserving, how does it affect your attitude toward others who find themselves in some kind of self-made trouble?

And straightway he [Jesus] constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
— Mark 6:45,46

When taking stock of the monumental issues facing the world today, many believers are tempted to succumb to worry, stress, and anxiety. However, living in a mental prison of fear and anxiety is not God’s plan for your life. As a child of God, you can find peace, no matter what storm is raging all around you! Psalm 55:22 states, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” According to this verse, the way to remain in peace is to spend concentrated time in the presence of the Lord.

Setting time aside to get quiet and seek God so you can hear His voice can be a challenge for busy people. Personally, I am the type of person who loves to be on the go all the time, and there have been times in my life when I neglected to take enough time to be quiet before the Lord. However, a few years ago, He spoke to my heart and called me aside for a special, intense time of prayer and seeking His face. I am so thankful that I heeded His call because that time with God opened my heart so He could show me the areas of my life that required change. During that special time of prayer, I pored over the Scriptures, and as I studied, I found there were many examples in the Bible of believers who sensed a “calling away.” Moreover, I found that each person who obeyed this call to prayer and separated himself for a time of seeking the Lord received divine blessings as a result.

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Even Jesus had times when He withdrew from the daily schedule of life to give Himself to consecrated times of prayer. An example can be found in Mark 6:45 and 46, which says, “And straightway he [Jesus] constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.”

Prior to the events described in this verse, Jesus had just miraculously fed 5,000 people, concluded one of the largest meetings of His ministry, and built momentum and excitement among His followers. In fact, the entire region was buzzing about the miracle of providing supernatural food for the entire multitude. But how did Jesus respond to this astounding event? He told the disciples to get on a ship and sail away; He sent away the crowds; and then He headed for the mountains to pray!

I want you to notice the word “straightway” in Mark 6:45. This word is a translation of the Greek word eutheos, which carries the idea of doing something without any delays, intervening circumstances, or detours. This word speaks both to the timing and the determination of Jesus. His response to a great victory was to withdraw without delay or interruption and get to a place where He could pray to the Father without interference. Jesus sent away the disciples and the multitude so that He might have time alone with God.

Next, notice the word “constrained” in the same verse. This is the Greek word anagkazo, which is a compound of the two words ana and agkale. Ana means up, and agkale means arm. When compounded, the new word paints the picture of a raised arm, which demonstrates force and authority. It literally means to compel by force. In light of the miracle that had just occurred in Jesus’ ministry, I am amazed by the Gospel writer’s choice of these two words “straightway” and “constrained” because it illustrates exactly how Jesus responded to that great meeting: He immediately — with determined force — caused everyone to leave Him alone so that He could pray!

With so much work to be done in our own ministry, I frequently feel compelled to just keep going strong without a break. But that is not what Jesus did. He recognized His need to stay in touch with the Father, even in the midst of successful events. And it’s interesting to note that it was after His time with the Father that Jesus walked on the water and commanded a storm to be still (see Mark 6:47-51). I want to follow Jesus’ example.

Anyone who knows Denise and me and is familiar with our ministry knows that we believe wholeheartedly in working very hard and giving 100 percent to the call of God. But there is a time when each of us must come aside to spend special time with the Lord and press into His presence so He can refresh us and renew us by His Spirit, just as Jesus did after He fed the multitude. So I have determined to carve out special time with the Father — to pray, to read His Word, and to fellowship with Him. I set aside time just for Him so He can search my heart and change me and so I can hear Him speak to me with no distractions and interruptions.

I know many people are facing struggles right now, and maybe this is a hard time for you as well. The only way you will get through this time victoriously is by spending time with the Lord and casting the weight of all your cares on Him (see Psalm 55:22). Isn’t it time for you to give God more time than you’ve been giving Him?

If God is calling you to set aside some extra time for Him, you need to be prepared for your flesh to put up a fight! That’s why it’s going to take determination to do it. When other things try to scream for your attention and pull you out of that consecrated place, you have to be determined to stay there unmoved, because that is where your source of strength, your peace, and all your answers will come from.

So obey what the Holy Spirit tells you to do by going to your mountain to be with the Father — in other words, by coming aside every day to spend special time with Him. I guarantee you that your obedience will bring a great reward. As the author of Hebrews declares, “…He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

It is essential that you make a deliberate effort to regularly spend time in consecrated prayer. Start this week — start today. Start by giving Him at least a few more minutes each day. Then let your special time with the Lord grow and grow until you are finally experiencing quality time with God that surpasses anything you’ve ever known in your life. He will open your heart, remove the things that have troubled you and caused your defeat, refill you with the Holy Spirit, and give you joy unspeakable and full of glory!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, with all that I have to do today, I cannot afford to miss spending time alone with You. I repent for the days I have sought to serve You in my own strength. I was busy, but not always fruitful because I failed to maintain my vital connection with You. Lord Jesus, I deliberately look to You, and I look away from all that would distract my attention from You. Father, I diligently seek You, and I thank You for rewarding me with a greater revelation of Your wisdom and Your ways. Holy Spirit, teach me to order my days with the Lord occupying first place. Please refill me today with Your power and Your joy, which is my impenetrable strength!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I will daily spend time in the Father’s presence. No matter how full my schedule may be, I will come to Him for direction and to be refreshed and renewed. I make God’s Word my priority. I will not allow my flesh to lure me away from staying vitally united to the Vine because apart from Him, I know I can’t do anything of eternal value. I set aside time to read the Word, pray, and fellowship with the Lord. I search my own heart on a regular basis and allow Him to change me so His anointing will flow pure and strong through my life.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Do you spend daily time with the Lord? How do you spend that time?
2. Do you have a daily Bible reading plan that helps you spend your time with the Lord? If not, a variety of reading plans are available online and are easy to Having a scheduled plan will help you feel like you are not having to figure it all out on your own.
3. I personally have a “place” where I go to read my Bible and to pray. It has become my “mountain” where I retreat from the busyness of life to be with Jesus. Do you have such a place? Where is it?