Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Opening Scripture

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” Matthew 16:24-26

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for choosing me and adopting me into your forever family. Thank you for the redemption you have lavished on me through the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for inviting me to share in your mission through the guidance and prompting of the Holy Spirit. Help me enjoy your presence and reflect your goodness today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

John 11:45-57

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Reflection  

When the grave clothes were removed to reveal a living, breathing Lazarus, everyone was shocked – except Jesus. The fact that some of those who were present “put their faith in him” is no surprise. The mystery is why all of those who were there didn’t put their faith in Him!

As we’ve come to see, miracles can testify, and signs can point to the divinity of Jesus, but they cannot force belief. There are those who “are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18).

While some were saved by grace through faith that day, others ran to tell those who wanted to kill Jesus what had happened. An emergency meeting of the Sanhedrin was convened. This group of seventy leaders had religious authority over the Jews and, under Roman authority, civil jurisdiction as well.

Whatever Jesus was up to, they clearly had to put a stop to it. The high priest was concerned about protecting his position and power. He didn’t realize that his current political declaration had eternal spiritual magnitude. Interestingly, the Sanhedrin’s rejection of Jesus did not prevent their eventual downfall, as Rome destroyed the city and the temple in AD 70.

As a result of the leaders’ intensified threat, Jesus and the disciples moved north about fifteen miles to the village of Ephraim, located near the wilderness. This community provided a place of rest and sanctuary for the group in preparation for the coming final showdown in Jerusalem.

Flourishing Habit

Intentional Discipleship

Can you imagine what it was like to be one of the disciples traveling with Jesus over the past three years? These mundane men accepted a personal invitation from the Son of God to leave their homes and follow Him. They experienced an incredible range of highs and lows, joys and sorrows, insights and confusion. They watched Jesus deal with persecution and popularity. They listened to His teaching and observed His life. They did what He told them to do.

In the book, Twelve Ordinary Men, John MacArthur emphasizes Jesus’ deliberate selection of these common individuals, with all their weaknesses and prejudices, to accomplish His mission.

Jesus was establishing a new “kingdom of priests” in stark contrast to the corrupt Jewish religious institution. These regular folks, empowered by the Spirit, would take His message to the masses and establish His kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven.

Jesus has invited us to follow Him as well, but Jesus isn’t looking for “Christian converts.” He’s looking for personal apprentices.

In our emphasis on intentional discipleship, we define a disciple as “a person being formed by Jesus as they follow Him in accomplishing His mission.”

Does that describe you? Are you being formed by Jesus as you follow Him in accomplishing His mission?

In Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer describes the process of discipleship (apprenticeship) in three steps:

• Be with Jesus
• Become like Jesus
• Do what Jesus did

Comer quotes Dallas Willard’s “bottom line” for meaningful discipleship: “You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.”

Ask God to help you be disciplined enough to slow down and make space for Jesus to transform you into His likeness.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!