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February 19, Sunday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Pierced for a Purpose — This is the last OT prophecy about Christ that we will cover. It graphically depicts the death of Jesus, who was pierced on the cross. This is not like pierced ears for earrings; it is a deep body piercing intended to cause death. As Isaiah said, “He was pierced through for our transgressions…” (Isa. 53:5). When the soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, He was already dead. In describing these actions, the Apostle John quoted Zech. 12:10, concluding that “these things came to pass in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled” (John 19:36-37). Referring to the same event in Christ’s life, Zechariah also prophesied, “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd … Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zech. 13:7). After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His disciples. Giving special attention to doubting Thomas, He said, “Bring your finger here, and see My hands; and bring your hand here, and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:17). Although He had a resurrected body, it carried the scars of His sacrificial wounds. He will still have those scars when He comes again: “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM, EVEN THOSE WHO PIERCED HIM; and all the tribes of the earth will MOURN OVER HIM” (Rev. 1:7).
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February 20, Monday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Jesus in a Nutshell — Wow! There is so much about Jesus in this prologue of John’s Gospel that we could have broken it down into several days of consideration. First, Jesus is “the Word” (vv. 1, 14); He is the perfect communicator of the truth of God to the world. As we will read this year about the words Jesus spoke, remember that they are the very words of God! Second, we see in verse 2 that the Son of God is eternal: “He was in the beginning with God.” This phrase speaks of two Persons of the Trinity who always existed—the Son with the Father. Third, the Son of God is Creator: “All things came into being through Him” (v. 3) and “the world was made through Him” (v. 10). The Creator described in the opening chapters of Genesis was God the Son. This is confirmed in 1 Cor. 8:6, Col. 1:16, and Heb. 1:2. Fourth, Jesus is “the Light of men” (v. 4). This Light brought not only understanding, but also a relationship that “enlightens everyone” (v. 9), i.e., for “as many as received Him” (v. 12). Fifth, the Son of God “became flesh” (v. 14); He is incarnate. Jesus was the God-man, both divine and human at the same time. Finally, Jesus was “full of grace and truth” (vv. 4, 9). He showed us how to live by grace with others and what to know about truly important things in life. Jesus is God and He has displayed and explained the Father to us (v. 18). What a study through the New Testament this will be! We will be learning about God the Son and He will teach us about God the Father.
O Word of God Incarnate – YouTube
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February 21, Tuesday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Names and Titles — Genealogy lists are not exactly exciting reading, but they do contain important information, including Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. Four names or titles are assigned to the human Son of God in verse 1 of this passage. One is His common name of “Jesus,” meaning “Yahweh saves.” As we will read later in this chapter, an angel told Joseph in a dream to name Mary’s child “Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Jesus is Savior. The second designation was a combination name and title: “Christ.” This means “anointed,” and its equivalent in Hebrew is mashiakh (or Messiah). Anointing with oil was symbolic of God’s choice and empowerment. God told Moses to anoint Aaron and his sons as priests to “set them apart as holy, that they may minister to Me as priests” (Ex. 28:41). Samuel anointed both Saul and David to be the first two kings of Israel (1 Sam. 10:1; 16:13). They were chosen and empowered by God to serve others. Jesus is the Chosen and Holy One. The third designation for Jesus is “the son of David” (Matt. 1:1). The main purpose of Matthew’s genealogy was to demonstrate Jesus’ legal right to be the final descendant of David to rule as King of Israel. Jesus is King. Finally, He is called “the son of Abraham.” This goes back to the covenant promise made to Abraham that it would be from his descendants that “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 26:4). That blessing began when the Son of God came to earth as a human, and it has continued through the gospel message of His Church. Jesus is the Blessed One.
The Name of Jesus is So Sweet – YouTube
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February 22, Wednesday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Reasons for Greatness — Here, we learn more about the soon-to-come Jesus from the visit of Gabriel to Mary. As with Joseph, she was told to “name Him Jesus” (v. 31). Mary would already have guessed this son would be very special, since it was announced in advance by an angel who knew her name. Gabriel confirmed the baby’s uniqueness by declaring, “He will be great” (v. 32). One way He would be great was that God would “give Him the throne of His father David … forever” (v. 33). Jesus would be the final and eternal King of God’s people. That is greatness! Another aspect of His greatness has to do with His origin: He would “be called the Son of the Most High, and … the Son of God” (vv. 32, 35). Jesus is God. That is ultimate greatness! The third aspect of His greatness was His holiness. He would be miraculously conceived through the work of the “Holy Spirit … and for that reason He would be called the holy Child” (v. 35). Jesus was great because of His kingly rule, His divine nature, and His holiness.
The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came – YouTube
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February 23, Thursday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Immanuel — The miraculously-conceived baby was given two names in this passage. The first one was “Jesus,” which we read about earlier. The angel told both Mary and Joseph separately that this was to be the child’s legal name, formally given at His circumcision ceremony. The angel also told Joseph, quoting Isaiah 7:14, that “THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL” (Matt. 1:23). That name means, “God with us.” Immanuel was more of a symbolic name that represented the wonder of the infinite, eternal, invisible Yahweh temporarily taking upon Himself the human experience in the form of this baby that would become the eternal sacrifice for sins. Although the exact expression, “God with us,” is used only here in the Bible, the concept is seen many times in the Old Testament. The presence of the tabernacle and temple was Israel’s physical reminder that God was with them. Jesus would die, be raised from the dead, and ascend into heaven, but He left the indwelling Holy Spirit to be with us. God is still with us. Do you sometimes feel that He has forgotten or neglected you? God is still with us, even in times of difficulty. Think of Mary and Joseph; they had to go through a very difficult ordeal of claiming their sexual innocence in the face of the questions, suspicions, and accusations of family members, neighbors, and essentially the whole small village of Nazareth. It was hard, but they knew that God was with them, and that sustained them. Remember Mary and Joseph when you feel that God has removed His concern or care for you! He is with us.
Emmanuel, God With Us – YouTube
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February 24, Friday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Humble Beginning — Sometimes God acts in dramatic ways, like the deliverance of Israel from Egypt or the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai; at other times He performs very significant feats in very subtle ways. The birth of Jesus was very much in the latter category. Here it is: They “laid Him in a manger” (v. 7)—a feeding trough for farm animals. The traditional site is a shallow cave in Bethlehem. The public inn was already full with travelers who had come to be registered in the census. There was no room for Jesus. Greatness in a manger; what a contrast! In spite of this humble beginning, however, there was something happening here on a grand scale. Why Bethlehem? It was because God had predicted Jesus’ birth to be there: “But as for you, Bethlehem … From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). Why the census? It was God’s plan to get Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem. That 70-mile trip (113 km) can be driven today in 2 hours and 11 minutes, but it probably took Mary and Joseph almost a week. God was working behind the scenes to make His promise come true. God caused Caesar Augustus to time the census to fit His grand plan. Sometimes we might feel like we are stuck in a cave of unchosen circumstances, but we don’t see the mighty hand of God working to accomplish great plans that will benefit us and others. Praise Him from your cave!
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February 25, Saturday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Savior, Christ, Lord — These are three titles of Jesus that the angel announced to the shepherds (v. 11). “Savior” represents what Jesus came to do: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). The shepherds were probably familiar with Yahweh being called “Savior” in many Old Testament passages, e.g., “For I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Is. 43:3). Now, however, the angel told them that a baby would be the Savior. That good news was probably puzzling to them. The second title, “Christ,” likely brought joy to these humble shepherds. There were many predictions in the Scriptures about a coming Messiah (the Hebrew equivalent for the Greek word translated “Christ”). The angel said that day had come, and He had been born in Bethlehem, just as God had predicted through Micah. That was certainly “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10). The third title, “the Lord,” really refers to Yahweh. This Messiah was actually Yahweh. Going from being frightened, puzzled, and having great joy, the shepherds’ minds must have frozen in wonder at this last message. Imagine them coming to that manger, looking at the baby, and thinking, “This is Yahweh!” That is just what Paul wrote about later: “…Christ Jesus, who although existing in the form of God … emptied Himself … by being made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:5-7). John had said it, too: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). What a baby!
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