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When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:10,11

A Greater Type of King Who Approaches Us

Daily Devotion – April 4, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 21:10,11

See series: Devotions

I live in a city that doesn’t claim many lifelong residents. A majority of our citizens are from somewhere else. Thus, a common question is, “Where are you from?” The answer will then trigger a variety of reactions. For right or for wrong, it’s not uncommon to brand the person depending on where they’re from.

When the crowd in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday said that the man riding on the donkey was, “Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee” it may have surprised people. Nazareth had a reputation of being nothing more than a blip on the map. Even today, Nazareth does not offer many “places to see” if you book a tour to Israel. But being from a nothing-good-can-come-from-there-town sheds a little light on just who our King was and is. He wasn’t a royal who only knew palace life or grew up with a family crest sewn into his suitcoat. Even though he knows heaven with its streets of gold, he also knows poverty. Even though he knows the safety of heaven where the gates never close, he also knows danger. He knows the glory of being King but also knows your story personally.

And that’s just a little bit of what makes Jesus a greater type of king. He is relatable. He is approachable. More than being approachable, he also approaches you. Which is exactly what the prophet wanted us to see in Jesus, “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.” Find comfort in that greater type of king that you have. You don’t have a king who is holed up in some castle. You have a King who comes to you no matter where or who you are.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for erasing the barriers that stand between you and me. Because you took away my sin, give me confidence to approach you daily, knowing that you understand what I’m going through, even better than I know myself. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:10,11

A Greater Type of King

Daily Devotion – April 3, 2023

Devotion based on Matthew 21:10,11

See series: Devotions

It’s uncomfortable. The person that called you wasn’t in your contacts. No name appeared when the phone rang, just a number. After you answer with a hesitant, “Hello?” the other party begins talking to you rather comfortably as if you should know them, but you don’t. You finally interrupt and ask, “Who is this?”

That was the question of the day in Jerusalem. The people that lined the streets to welcome Jesus on Palm Sunday knew him. He was already in their “Contacts” list. But not everyone in the city knew him. And for those who didn’t know him, it was uncomfortable. They were “stirred.” And so they asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds who knew him answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet…” That is no small thing to say about Jesus, and it is one of many ways that shows Jesus to be a greater type of king. When we see someone march into town with a lot of fanfare as a king, we may expect them to make a lot of demands. “Fetch me this. Get me that.” Or if the person is a stereotypical king, we may expect them to issue a decree or give some kind of edict.

But who is this Jesus? He’s not someone who comes making demands for himself. He’s not one who comes with a list of edicts. No, he’s a prophet, someone whose concern is to proclaim God’s Word. Not an opinion or a tweet but the very Word of God.

As you read this devotion, appreciate that Jesus is still acting as “the prophet.” Right now, as you meditate on God’s Word, Jesus’ concern is for you to know what God says. He wants you to hear about the seriousness of your sin. But he also wants you to hear about God’s solution to your sin, and that solution is Jesus, a greater type of king who meets all of your greater needs.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for being the prophet and showing me God’s Word today. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Zechariah 9:9,10

Jesus Gives You What You Need

Daily Devotion – April 2, 2023

Devotion based on Zechariah 9:9,10

See series: Devotions

Quick, get a picture in your head. Someone rules the entire world: What does he look like? Like Napoleon riding on his trusty steed with his army surrounding him? Like a business tycoon who dominated his field and now the world? Powerful? Self-confident and self-reliant? What does a world ruler look like?

Like a humble man riding on a lowly donkey. That’s what the Old Testament prophet Zechariah said. Zechariah spoke of the Savior who was to come. The Savior, your King, would come “gentle and riding on a donkey.”

On the Sunday before he died on the cross, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah. He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. What was most impressive about Jesus wasn’t his ride; it was what he brought. Your King is holy and righteous. He brought the salvation you so desperately need. Jesus didn’t fight with a sword and army to overcome the curse of sin, but with his perfect life and innocent death on the cross for you. By his holiness and his death, your sins are forgiven. And with the salvation he brings you, he gives the accompanying gift of peace. Peace that your sins are forgiven; you have peace with God.

You might not choose a donkey as your favorite mode of transportation, and that’s alright. But don’t let that lead you to overlook the King who rode a donkey and fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy. You don’t need his ride, but thank God that he gives you what you do need—his salvation and peace.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, don’t let this world deceive me into placing my hope in the wrong kind of kings. Only my King, Jesus, gives me true and lasting spiritual salvation and peace. Keep my faith in him strong and growing. Lead me to follow my King in all I do and say today. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
John 11:38-44

Limitless

Daily Devotion – April 1, 2023

Devotion based on John 11:38-44

See series: Devotions

We all deal with limits. There are limitations to our abilities. As much as we try, we cannot go beyond our finite natures. We can make better and bigger machines to improve ways things get done, but one day they will prove inadequate and have to be replaced. We can push ourselves physically to go faster and harder and farther, but finally there is a limit to what we can do. We strive in many ways to live longer, but the truth is that there is a set limit to our life on this earth. All the graves in cemeteries are signs of that serious limitation.

We are limited, but Jesus is not. He is God, who is limitless in his power and abilities. Even death is not a limit for him. His commanding voice demanded that death release its grip on Lazarus—and it did!

There is no limit to Jesus’ love. He loved us in such a limitless way that he surrendered himself to death and the grave for us. But death could not hold him. He came out of the grave; he rose from the dead to prove that he is almighty God. By his resurrection, he assures us he is limitless in his love for us as our living Savior.

One day, he will shout again, “Come out!” and graves will lose their limited grip. Jesus promised, “Because I live, you also with live.” Only the Son of God has the limitless ability to accomplish what he said. Count on it, and you will see the glory of God!

Prayer:
Jesus, strengthen my faith in you as my living Lord and loving Savior. Fill me with the confidence that you are limitless in your power and love, and assure me with your promise that you will raise me from death to live with you forever. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out.
John 11:43,44

The Voice

Daily Devotion – March 31, 2023

Devotion based on John 11:43,44

See series: Devotions

It is only a matter of time before you will find yourself standing next to the grave of a Christian you love dearly. As you do, you may feel many things. Many reflections may enter your mind. Besides memories and emotions, however, consider the moment when Jesus also stood next to a grave.

In John chapter 11, Jesus is standing next to the grave of his dear friend, Lazarus. Lazarus has recently died from an illness. His family has buried his body. John describes the tomb as a cave with a stone laid across the entrance (John 11:38). The sheer grief of his friend’s death has moved Jesus to tears. Take away the stone, Jesus says. After some hesitation, obedient hands take the stone away. Following a fervent prayer to his heavenly Father, Jesus calls out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The apostle John then records what happens next: The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

All of which brings us to the next time you find yourself standing next to the grave of a Christian who is near and dear to you. In John chapter 5, God’s Word tells us that a moment is coming when the mortal remains of your loved one will hear the voice of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life. Those mortal remains will arise, reunited with the soul. And from that point onward, that child of God, body and soul, freed from the presence and effects of sin, will bask forever in the glories of eternal life.

Think of it. The voice of the one who said, I am the resurrection and the life; the voice of the one who proclaimed our sins paid in full when he cried out, It is finished, from the cross; the voice of the one who promised, Because I live, you also will live—that same voice will one day call for you and me. And all will be well.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, move me to hear your voice through your Word and sacrament. And move me to rejoice in the day your voice calls me home. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25,26

Confrontation

Daily Devotion – March 30, 2023

Devotion based on John 11:25,26

See series: Devotions

Ever hear something like this? “Jesus was a great teacher and a great example. The world would be a better place if more people tried to live as he lived. I don’t subscribe to the idea that he was more than a human being, but that takes nothing away from my high regard for what a good person he was.”

Opinions like that have been around for quite some time. But as writer CS Lewis once pointed out, Jesus does not let people get away with opinions like this. Instead, Jesus confronts them with very pointed claims that he makes about himself. The Word of God before us in John chapter 11 is a perfect example. No mere teacher about God talks like this. No mere teacher about God makes such an outrageous claim. No mere teacher about God has the chutzpa to say, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live.

Confronted in this way, what are people to conclude? CS Lewis offered some possibilities. Perhaps Jesus was a liar. If that’s the case, however, no one has any business calling him good, especially since his followers willingly faced torture and death rather than renounce what Jesus claimed. Perhaps, then, Jesus was a lunatic, a madman with delusions of grandeur. Insanity, however, does not fit with the written record of how he consistently conducted his ministry.

And so if Jesus is not a liar, and if he is not a lunatic, what is he? The Holy Spirit brings us to another conclusion—that Jesus is exactly who he claims to be. He is God the Son, who became fully human. He came here to live a life of perfect goodness on our behalf. He came to suffer and die for our every sin. Then, to demonstrate who he is and what he’s accomplished, he raised himself to life three days later.

Do you believe this? Jesus asks. His gospel empowers you and me to say, “Yes.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are the resurrection and the life. Empower me to live and believe in you. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.
Romans 8:19

Expectation

Daily Devotion – March 29, 2023

Devotion based on Romans 8:19

See series: Devotions

For years, the last word in telescopes was the Hubble Space Telescope, orbiting the earth at about 340 miles. But no more. The James Webb telescope launched on Christmas Day, 2021. It now orbits the earth at a distance of about 900,000 miles. It is the largest optical telescope in space, with an “eye” about six times larger than that of the Hubble. It is also the most sophisticated. The pictures it has been able to take of God’s creation have been spectacular. You and I can now go online and see stars and galaxies formerly invisible to all previous telescopes. In Psalm 19, God’s Word says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The pictures coming back from the James Webb telescope only put an exclamation point on that ageless truth.

As you have opportunity, take a moment to pull up those pictures. Scroll through the images. Be amazed by the breathtaking beauty of the stars, the nebulas, the galaxies, or the riveting, close-up detail of our own planets. As you do, however, keep in mind something else that is also astounding. God’s Word tells us that all of this—all that we can see and beyond what we can see—all of this is waiting in eager expectation for something. It is waiting in eager expectation for the Lord of all creation to bring the presence and effects of sin to an end. It is waiting for him to create a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13). It is waiting for the Last Day. It is waiting for Jesus.

Indeed, it always comes back to Jesus. Whether it’s viewing the vastness of the universe through the latest telescope or considering the twists and turns of our own personal lives—it always comes back to Jesus. It comes back to the one who came to rescue us from the curse of our sin. It comes back to the one who lived and suffered and died on our behalf. It comes back to the one who rose. It comes back to the one who reigns.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, all creation awaits your return in eager expectation. Help me remember this. Amen.

Daily Devotions are brought to you by WELS and www.WhatAboutJesus.com.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.