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Luke 5:12-16

09 Jan

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
Luke 5:12-16

Dear God, I was listening to a Bible Project podcast yesterday introducing the book of Jude. They’re about to do a series on it, and this week’s episode was just setting up the background and context. Jude was thought to be Jesus’s “brother.” But what did brother mean? It could have meant everything from a subsequent child born to Mary and Joseph to a step brother from Joseph’s life before Mary, to a cousin. But at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter. What is clear is that there were relatives of some sort who knew Jesus as a boy and saw him grow up. Jesus is clear that he had strained relationships with his earthly family (Mark 6:4) and there’s the story of Jesus’s brothers trying to goad him into showing off at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2-5). So these relationships are definitely there. And they are hard. And they don’t believe in him. But then, post-resurrection, they are believers and leaders in the church. They are also writing letters like James and Jude.

So what was their issue before the resurrection? That brings me back to stories like this. The Jesus of this sorry in Luke 5 is a celebrity on the rise, but these “brothers” knew him when he was just a boy learning and discerning who he was. It must have been so hard for their egos to have Jesus as a—I’m going to keep saying brother with the understanding it could mean one of the three options I mentioned above. What was it like to interact with him. I have a half-brother and half-sister. I am closer to one than the other, but I’m not in open conflict with either. We are all in our 50s and 60s now and we’ve figured out who we are apart from each other, but there was a time when our differences in personality was a great source of conflict. Well, I can’t even imagine the animosity the would grow in me if my brother was literally “holier than thou.”

Father, as I sit here this morning and think about takeaways from this prayer, I think my big one is to appreciate the complexities of my ego and dangers of comparing myself with other people. I’m not competing with anyone for your love. I don’t have to be more mature, wise, pious, etc. than anyone else. All I have to be is present to you. So I’m here to offer my presence to you this morning, today, and this weekend. I love you, Lord. Here am I. Break me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit.

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2026 in Luke

 

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Luke 4:14-28

08 Jan

14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
    that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19     and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.

25 “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”

28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.

Luke 4:14-28

Dear God, we are so predictable. It kind of makes me wonder why Jesus even went back to Nazareth in the first place. And he certainly poked the bear intentionally when he started saying that the Kingdom of Heaven that was at hand included Gentiles too.

I think it was about a year ago that I heard someone point out that it wasn’t the fact that he was claiming the be chosen one Isaiah spoke of, but that he was also going to be bringing in the Gentiles. Our selfishness can’t handle this.

I have to admit that I’m incredibly disturbed by what our country is doing internationally right now. It feels like we aren’t only trying to weaken the other nations around us, but that we also wanting to take advantage of them to strengthen ourselves. We are the people that morning sitting in front of Jesus, incensed that he would claim that our neighbors deserve healing more than we do. If Jesus were to come today and say, “I’m here for the people who live south of this country and I’m calling you to help them,” we would throw him out and try to kill him.

Father, I need to have eyes for others and not myself. I need to be who you call me to be. I need to be willing to take a step back so that someone else might take a step forward. I’m about to receive a community service award in a couple of months, and I feel completely inadequate to receive it. Give me a clear head today. Give me a clear head this weekend on the retreat. Going back to yesterday’s prayer, teach me to pray. I love you, Lord.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 8, 2026 in Luke

 

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Mark 6:45-46

07 Jan

45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

Mark 6:45-46

Dear God, I wonder what Jesus’s alone prayer time looked like. I’m sure it was completely different than mine. And better. Much, much better. I wonder if Moses and Elijah (and you) visited directly with him during these times. Did he transfigure like he did the one time he took James, John, and Peter along with him? How much time did he spend hearing for you and learning? How much time did he spend being encouraged? How much time did he spend praying for his disciples and the people he knew? I just thought of the time in Luke 22 when Jesus tells Peter he prayed for him: 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” Was that during one of these times. Has Satan asked to sift me like wheat. What would that sifting look like? Is it happening now? So many questions.

I was with a group of men last night from the Christian Men’s Life Skills program I’m involved with, and we talked about everything around us that we can’t see. As the Nicene Creed puts it, you are the creator of everything visible and invisible. What all is invisible around me right now that I am just ignorant to? It’s all a reminder that I’m so small.

I’m going to a men’s retreat this weekend. Maybe what I need to explore is the idea of getting alone in prayer and how I need to pray. For whom I need to pray. I know I should be much better about praying for others.

Father, teach me to pray. That’s my request this morning. It’s actually a scary thing to ask. I don’t know what I’m unleashing on myself if I make this request, but my life isn’t about me and my comfort. It’s about you. Please teach me to pray.

I ask this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 7, 2026 in Mark

 

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Mark 6:30-44

06 Jan

30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”

37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”

38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”

They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”

39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.

41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.

Mark 6:30-44

Dear God, I had two thoughts come to mind when I read this passage this morning. First, you “[taught] them many things.” (verse 34) If I had been there that day, what lessons would I have taken home with me? How would my life have changed for having been around you? I was watching a video clip of Paul Rudd the other day. He was with some other actors doing press for a movie, and the interviewer asked them if they could go back and meet someone in history who would it be. He said Jesus. He went on to explain that it was a real answer. To have the opportunity to be around someone who influenced the course of history and the world in such a way would be incredible. Well, these people did get to meet you when you were here in the flesh through the part of you that is Jesus. What lessons would I take from your teaching if I sat with you? I have to be frank. While it’s nice to sit with you in these times of prayer, talk to you, and read about you, it is much more comfortable having this veil between us. If someone told me that you, through Jesus, are in my living room right now, I would be reluctant to leave my study. I wouldn’t run. I might first get the nerve to peek my head out and get a look at you first, Oh, I would be so overwhelmed by your physical presence! I’ve gotten very used to this paradigm of you being invisible to my eyes. I don’t know how I would respond.

I got so lost in the that thought that I cannot even remember what my second one was. You are too much for me. You are too great for me. It’s interesting, because I simultaneously feel completely inadequate to be in your presence, and, at the same time, completely comfortable in the idea that you love me and want me anyway.

Father, there is a lot of work for me to do today. Help me to do it well. We have to make a big decision for our clinic regarding a contractor to do some work for us. Help us to choose wisely. To see beyond price. To understand something that we cannot see. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Thank you for bringing us this far. Help us to have your discernment as we continue down this road.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 6, 2026 in Mark

 

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Matthew 4:12-25

05 Jan

12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
    beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
    in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,
16 the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
    a light has shined.”

17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

23 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 24 News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. 25 Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.

Matthew 4:12-25

Dear God, I want to focus on verse 17 this morning: 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” It was a pretty simple message. And we’ll see more of it right after this in the next chapter when Matthew gives us Jesus’s stump speech. So we know this wasn’t all he said, but this was the main message Matthew shared with us: “Repent of your sins and turn to God.”

Does that need to be my message for people today? Before I go there, is this your message for me today? “John, repent of your sins and turn to God.” I think my conscience is clear before you, but I haven’t really examined it. I need to do that. Where am I failing you and myself right now? Where do I need to repent. Search my heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

I have some friends who I know are struggling, and I would love to see them walk through the narrow gate. I just know they would be so much happier than they currently are. And I get it. The narrow gate is narrow for a reason. It takes self-discipline. It takes intentionality. It takes resolve and determination. It takes humility, submission, and perseverance.

Father, help me to first, live up to the task of walking through the narrow gate today, and then help me to guide others into the gate so that they might repent and turn to you. You love us. You want us. You are for us. Help us to build our lives so that they are yours wholly and completely.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 5, 2026 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 2:1-12

04 Jan

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
    are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
    who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Matthew 2:1-12

Dear God, it’s always interesting when we meet these characters in stories and then we don’t hear from them again. In this case, we get these guys from the East, and they were following some sort of sign. I don’t think we are ever told the source of their knowledge for the sign, but here they are, and they are right. Now, they are a little clumsy about it. They just kind of brazenly go in making it a public thing when you had kind of gone out of your way to make it more low-key, and their clumsiness tipped off Herod which caused problems of tragic proportions, but they were just earnestly looking for this child. Why they wanted to worship him, I don’t know. In fact, I checked different translations, and they all use the word “worship.”

So they found him. The worshipped him. The gave him/Mary gifts. And then they left. It’s important to note here that you spoke to them and warned them to go home a different way. You knew they were there, and they were worthy of your attention and care. Of course, you were also protecting Jesus, Mary, and Joseph by keeping them away from Herod as well, but still, this is just another example of how you loved Gentiles, spoke to Gentiles, and let Gentiles know about your plans. Jesus was for them too.

Father, I’m a Gentile sitting here grateful to be your servant. Worshipping you, Three in One. My Father. My Jesus. My Holy Spirit. As Christmas comes to a close, I thank you and commit to walking with you this year. Beyond Christmas. You are my God. I am your grateful child. Part of your creation. You have my worship. Show me how to love you and how to love others.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 4, 2026 in Matthew

 

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John 1:29-34

03 Jan

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ 31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”

John 1:29-34

Dear God, Jesus and John had an interesting relationship. I wish I knew more about how they knew each other over the previous 30 years. We never see them together before this, but I’m sure this isn’t the first time they met. After all, their mothers were cousins and they certainly would have sought each other out over the years. So I wonder what kinds of conversations John and Jesus had as they grew up. The way John describes it here, John knew Jesus but it hadn’t been revealed to him who Jesus was until he had the prophecy fulfilled that you had given to him. It took the Jesus he knew and made him Jesus the Messiah. It all changed.

I’m also impressed that his leadoff description of Jesus is that he said Jesus was about taking away the sins of the world. He didn’t say, “Here comes our conquering Messiah!” He called him the “Lamb of God,” your lamb. He might not have completely understood how this would all play out because later, when John is in prison, he will question if Jesus is the Messiah or if there is someone else coming (Luke 7:20). But he also seemed to know that there was more to this Messiah thing than making Israel great again. He knew you were trying to rewrite the covenant between you and your creation. He just didn’t have the picture of what that would look like.

So I don’t know what you’re doing either. I mean, I think I know what you were doing through Jesus, but even that gets convoluted in our modern Christianity. Some would say that Jesus came to save us from hell and eternal torment and damnation. To save us from suffering by forgiving us of our sins. But that seems ridiculous to me now, even though that’s what I was sold as a child. Not that there won’t be a sorting one day. Jesus was clear there would be. But if you wanted to save us from eternal damnation you’d have just let our souls die when we die and be done with us. No, you wanted relationship with us. I don’t understand why, but you want to love us and you want us to love you. You want relationship with us. You took away my sin not so that I would get a great perk after my death, but so that I could learn to walk through the narrow gate.

Father, I give you this day. I’m about to spend a few hours with a friend. Sharpen him through me and me through him. My wife and I will spend time together this afternoon. Sharpen us through each other. We will spend some times with friends over dinner. Sharpen us through each other. We are about to start working with a couple who is contemplating marriage. Make our relationship with them part of all of our journeys. Teach me to walk this narrow path through this narrow gate. Oh, and I just learned yesterday that a friend lost her brother to death. I’m so sorry for her. Please comfort her and her family through this tragedy. Show me how to be her friend through this. Raise up people around her who will love her with your love.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 3, 2026 in John

 

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John 1:19-28

02 Jan

19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”

“No,” he replied.

“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”

“No.”

22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
    ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”

24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

26 John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. 27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”

28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

John 1:19-28

Dear God, the thing that struck me this morning as I read this passage is that John denies being Elijah when Jesus says John is Elijah (Matthew 11:14). Is this false modesty? Is this him not being willing to claim something for himself and feeling like someone else (namely Jesus) needs to be the one to bestow that label on him? Is he still trying to figure out exactly who he is in your plan? He knows he’s the voice crying in the wilderness. He knows Jesus is the Messiah. But how much more does he know.

One thing that also stands out to me this morning is that he had a great responsibility to speak your words to the crowds. He had an important message for the people. For all of the people, including the Pharisees. My wife and I are going to be starting some premarital…I don’t want to call it counseling because we aren’t counselors. Let’s call it curriculum. We are going to be taking an engaged couple through a pre-marital curriculum that will give them a lot of things to think about, talk about, and work through as they prepare to get married. It intimidates me to have such an important responsibility, and I don’t think I’ve spent enough time in prayer, preparing my heart for our time with them or even praying for them and their hearts. I’ve prayed a little, but not enough.

Father, I’m no Elijah. I’m not a voice crying in the wilderness. But you have put people in my path, and you have messages for them through me as well as having messages for me through them. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see, a heart to discern, and wise words to share. And prepare my wife’s heart in the same way. Help her to have an insightful heart as we go through this process. And help them couple to come in with hearts that are open to hearing from you. Let your Holy Spirit be in the room with us today. Guide the four of us through this process. Give us all breakthroughs in our lives and use this process to draw each of us closer to yourself as individuals as well as closer to you as couples.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 2, 2026 in John

 

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Number 6:22-27

01 Jan

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:

24 ‘May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
25 May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
26 May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.’

27 Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”

Number 6:22-27

Dear God, I’m about to see an old friend. I want to be what you need me to be for her. She’s a good woman who is facing some challenges. I want to be kind. I want to be insightful. I want her to leave here feeling a sense of your presence. Your smile. Your graciousness. Your favor. Your peace.

But we can’t just get that. It is a two-way street. We have to be in a position to receive it. My wife and I were talking last night, and I told her that she is remarkable because she puts herself in a position to allow your fruit to grow in her. She exudes it for others. She is a “good hang” for friends because she emits your presence. Your fruit. I want to be that too. I want to emit your presence and your fruit. I want to share your love and mercy. I also want to share your call to walk through the narrow gate. I talked about that a day or two ago–how I define the narrow gate. They path through the narrow gate ended up looking a lot like the 12 Steps for AA. That’s the path I need to walk, and that is the path I want to be part of helping others not only find but be willing to walk to.

So in thinking about my friend right now, I pray that you would love and keep her. That your face would shine upon her. That you would bless and keep her. That she would feel your smile. That she would find your favor and peace. I pray the same for those I love, those who frustrate me, and those whom I think are acting against you. Bring us all into right relationship with you and guide us into the narrow path.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 1, 2026 in Numbers

 

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Luke 2:22-40

31 Dec

22 Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” 24 So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
    as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31     which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
    and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

39 When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

Luke 2:22-40

Dear God, I want to spend some time with Simeon and Anna this morning. Why them? Why did you lead them in this way? Why did you promise Simeon he would not die until he had seen the Messiah? Why Anna in this moment?

It’s so interesting to me that Simeon was right and wrong at the same time. He was right in that he could foresee how Jesus would be a stumbling block to others. How he would be divisive. How Mary’s own soul would be pierced. But he was wrong because he still had the idea that the Messiah was coming to make Israel great again (MIGA). His preconceived notions of your plans for Israel and the world through Israel’s power were not big enough to include the truth. That you would be reconciling the entire world to yourself through Jesus. He got words of truth, but they were still tainted by his human conflict of interest that longed for security, power, and certainty for Israel and himself.

When it comes to Anna, I think of her as a fixture of the temple that had been there for over 60 years, worshipping you, praying, and fasting. I like to think that Mary had seen her when she was a little girl and her family visited the temple for Passover. So now Mary and her new baby were the center of Anna’s attention, and Anna was saying remarkable things about Mary’s baby. But back to Anna. She was widowed young, and it seems to me the way she survived was by making her home at the temple and throwing herself into worshipping you. That’s how she used her life. Almost like a nun before there were nuns. It’s seemingly how she processed her pain. By just dedicating her life to worshipping and loving you.

I wonder what the Pharisees of the day thought of all of this. I’m sure they must have gotten some wind of what Simeon and Anna were saying about this baby. Did they question it? Did they question Mary and Joseph? Did they ignore it? It’s difficult to say.

Just as a side note, I think it’s interesting that Luke and Matthew tell two different stories of what happened with Jesus from here. Matthew tells us that they stayed in Bethlehem for a while, fled to Egypt, and then finally settled in Nazareth several years later. Luke indicates they went straight home to Nazareth. The discrepancy doesn’t invalidate any of Jesus’s story or the fact that he is your son and our Messiah. But it does remind me that nothing is really giving me a complete picture of what happened all those years ago.

Father, I have a small life to live. I’m one of 7 billion-ish people on this planet and one of over 100 billion that have lived on it at one point. But if my life can positively impact just ten people, and then each of those ten impacts five, and even of those five impacts two, and each of those two impacts one then all of a sudden my life has touched a lot of others. And who knows where it ends? So I offer this day to you. I’m going to get to see my niece and her husband and their friends. Help my wife and me to simply be your messengers today. Help us to be your examples. Your love. Your glory. And help me to love our donors today. Do it all for your glory, Lord.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 31, 2025 in Luke

 

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