(Jesus said) "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."[John 15:18-19]
Most people have become aware that radical Islamists don't much like Christians ... or anyone else for that matter.
According to India's Parliament member, Sakshi Maharaj, there are Hindus who would like to climb aboard that anti-Christian bandwagon.
Of course, you don't have to take my word for it. Maharaj, a member of the ruling Hindu nationalist party, has gone on record as saying, "Wait for some time. A law will be passed in Parliament in which anyone indulging in cow slaughter and conversion will be punished with the death sentence."
Understand, those remarks do not come from one, lone fellow who is standing all by himself on the far-out fringe of the India political system. Just before Christmas the Indian Parliament was forced to adjourn after some members of Parliament protested those nationalist Hindu groups who were trying toforce reconversions to Hinduism.
The logic goes this way:
1. All citizens of India have come from a Hindu heritage.
2. When they, or some ancestor, converted from Hinduism, they deserted the faith.
3. For such a person to come back to being a Hindu, a process known as "ghar wapsi," well, that is really not a conversion at all. That individual is merely returning to where he should have been all along.
The words of prophecy, the words of warning shared by the Savior with His disciples have once again been verified. In 21st-century India, and in many other places, Christians can see Jesus was right when He said, "I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
The only question which remains is "How should Christians respond to such hatred?"
The Lord Jesus who gave His life to win our forgiveness and salvation, supplies God's answer in Revelation 2:10. There the crucified and risen Redeemer said, "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."
In support of faithfulness under pressure, we offer up our prayers of support.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we pray that our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted around the world may be given the strength to be faithful. May their witness, made under duress, point those who are currently lost to the Savior. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Most people have become aware that radical Islamists don't much like Christians ... or anyone else for that matter.
According to India's Parliament member, Sakshi Maharaj, there are Hindus who would like to climb aboard that anti-Christian bandwagon.
Of course, you don't have to take my word for it. Maharaj, a member of the ruling Hindu nationalist party, has gone on record as saying, "Wait for some time. A law will be passed in Parliament in which anyone indulging in cow slaughter and conversion will be punished with the death sentence."
Understand, those remarks do not come from one, lone fellow who is standing all by himself on the far-out fringe of the India political system. Just before Christmas the Indian Parliament was forced to adjourn after some members of Parliament protested those nationalist Hindu groups who were trying toforce reconversions to Hinduism.
The logic goes this way:
1. All citizens of India have come from a Hindu heritage.
2. When they, or some ancestor, converted from Hinduism, they deserted the faith.
3. For such a person to come back to being a Hindu, a process known as "ghar wapsi," well, that is really not a conversion at all. That individual is merely returning to where he should have been all along.
The words of prophecy, the words of warning shared by the Savior with His disciples have once again been verified. In 21st-century India, and in many other places, Christians can see Jesus was right when He said, "I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
The only question which remains is "How should Christians respond to such hatred?"
The Lord Jesus who gave His life to win our forgiveness and salvation, supplies God's answer in Revelation 2:10. There the crucified and risen Redeemer said, "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."
In support of faithfulness under pressure, we offer up our prayers of support.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we pray that our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted around the world may be given the strength to be faithful. May their witness, made under duress, point those who are currently lost to the Savior. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Exodus 14: The Israelites Cross the Red Sea
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
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Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Exodus 14: The Israelites Cross the Red Sea
1 At Etham the Lord said to Moses:
2 Tell the people of Israel to turn back and camp across from Pi-Hahiroth near Baal-Zephon, between Migdol and the Red Sea.[a] 3 The king[b] will think they were afraid to cross the desert and that they are wandering around, trying to find another way to leave the country. 4 I will make the king stubborn again, and he will try to catch you. Then I will destroy him and his army. People everywhere will praise me for my victory, and the Egyptians will know that I really am the Lord.
The Israelites obeyed the Lord and camped where he told them.
5 When the king of Egypt heard that the Israelites had finally left, he and his officials changed their minds and said, “Look what we have done! We let them get away, and they will no longer be our slaves.”
6 The king got his war chariot and army ready. 7 He commanded his officers in charge of his six hundred best chariots and all his other chariots to start after the Israelites. 8 The Lord made the king so stubborn that he went after them, even though the Israelites proudly[c] went on their way. 9 But the king’s horses and chariots and soldiers caught up with them while they were camping by the Red Sea near Pi-Hahiroth and Baal-Zephon.
10 When the Israelites saw the king coming with his army, they were frightened and begged the Lord for help. 11 They also complained to Moses, “Wasn’t there enough room in Egypt to bury us? Is that why you brought us out here to die in the desert? Why did you bring us out of Egypt anyway? 12 While we were there, didn’t we tell you to leave us alone? We had rather be slaves in Egypt than die in this desert!”
13 But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Be brave, and you will see the Lord save you today. These Egyptians will never bother you again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t have to do a thing.”
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you keep calling out to me for help? Tell the Israelites to move forward. 16 Then hold your walking stick over the sea. The water will open up and make a road where they can walk through on dry ground. 17 I will make the Egyptians so stubborn that they will go after you. Then I will be praised because of what happens to the king and his chariots and cavalry. 18 The Egyptians will know for sure that I am the Lord.”
19 All this time God’s angel had gone ahead of Israel’s army, but now he moved behind them. A large cloud had also gone ahead of them, 20 but now it moved between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The cloud gave light to the Israelites, but made it dark for the Egyptians, and during the night they could not come any closer.
21 Moses stretched his arm over the sea, and the Lord sent a strong east wind that blew all night until there was dry land where the water had been. The sea opened up, 22 and the Israelites walked through on dry land with a wall of water on each side.
23 The Egyptian chariots and cavalry went after them. 24 But before daylight the Lord looked down at the Egyptian army from the fiery cloud and made them panic. 25 Their chariot wheels got stuck,[d] and it was hard for them to move. So the Egyptians said to one another, “Let’s leave these people alone! The Lord is on their side and is fighting against us.”
26 The Lord told Moses, “Stretch your arm toward the sea—the water will cover the Egyptians and their cavalry and chariots.” 27 Moses stretched out his arm, and at daybreak the water rushed toward the Egyptians. They tried to run away, but the Lord drowned them in the sea. 28 The water came and covered the chariots, the cavalry, and the whole Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them was left alive. 29 But the sea had made a wall of water on each side of the Israelites; so they walked through on dry land.
30 On that day, when the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the shore, they knew that the Lord had saved them. 31 Because of the mighty power he had used against the Egyptians, the Israelites worshiped him and trusted him and his servant Moses.
The Song of Moses
15:1 Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the Lord:
I sing praises to the Lord
for his great victory!
He has thrown the horses
and their riders
into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength,
the reason for my song,
because he has saved me.
I praise and honor the Lord—
he is my God
and the God
of my ancestors.
3 The Lord is his name,
and he is a warrior!
4 He threw the chariots and army
of Egypt’s king[e]
into the Red Sea,[f]
and he drowned the best
of the king’s officers.
5 They sank to the bottom
just like stones.
6 With the tremendous force
of your right arm, our Lord,
you crushed your enemies.
7 What a great victory was yours,
as you defeated everyone
who opposed you.
Your fiery anger wiped them out,
as though they were straw.
8 You were so furious
that the sea piled up
like a wall,
and the ocean depths
curdled like cheese.
9 Your enemies boasted
that they would
pursue and capture us,
divide up our possessions,
treat us as they wished,
then take out their swords
and kill us right there.
10 But when you got furious,
they sank like lead,
swallowed by ocean waves.
11 Our Lord, no other gods
compare with you—
Majestic and holy!
Fearsome and glorious!
Miracle worker!
12 When you signaled
with your right hand,
your enemies were swallowed
deep into the earth.
13 The people you rescued
were led by your powerful love
to your holy place.
14 Nations learned of this
and trembled—
Philistines shook with horror.
15 The leaders of Edom and of Moab
were terrified.
Everyone in Canaan fainted,
16 struck down by fear.
Our Lord, your powerful arm
kept them still as a rock
until the people you rescued
for your very own
had marched by.
17 You will let your people settle
on your chosen mountain,
where you built your home
and your temple.
18 Our Lord, you will rule forever!
The Song of Miriam
19 The Lord covered the royal Egyptian cavalry and chariots with the sea, after the Israelites had walked safely through on dry ground. 20 Miriam the sister of Aaron was a prophet. So she took her tambourine and led the other women out to play their tambourines and to dance. 21 Then she sang to them:
“Sing praises to the Lord
for his great victory!
He has thrown the horses
and their riders into the sea.”
Bitter Water at Marah
22 After the Israelites left the Red Sea,[g] Moses led them through the Shur Desert for three days, before finding water. 23 They did find water at Marah, but it was bitter, which is how that place got its name.[h] 24 The people complained and said, “Moses, what are we going to drink?”
25 Moses asked the Lord for help, and the Lord told him to throw a piece of wood into the water. Moses did so, and the water became fit to drink.
At Marah the Lord tested his people and also gave them some laws and teachings. 26 Then he said, “I am the Lord your God, and I cure your diseases. If you obey me by doing right and by following my laws and teachings, I won’t punish you with the diseases I sent on the Egyptians.”
27 Later the Israelites came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees. So they camped there.[Footnotes:
14.2 Red Sea: Hebrew hayyam “the Sea,” understood as yam suph, “Sea of Reeds” (see also the note at 13.18).
14.3 The king: See the note at 1.11.
14.8 proudly: Or “victoriously.”
14.25 stuck: The Samaritan Hebrew text and two ancient translations; Hebrew “came off.”
15.4 Egypt’s king: See the note at 1.11.
15.4,22 Red Sea: See the note at 13.18.
15.4,22 Red Sea: See the note at 13.18.
15.23 Marah. . . name: In Hebrew “Marah” means “bitter.”]
Matthew 26: Jesus Prays
36 Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. When they got there, he told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37 Jesus took along Peter and the two brothers, James and John.[a] He was very sad and troubled, 38 and he said to them, “I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me.”
39 Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup.[b] But do what you want, and not what I want.”
40 He came back and found his disciples sleeping. So he said to Peter, “Can’t any of you stay awake with me for just one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you won’t be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak.”
42 Again Jesus went to pray and said, “My Father, if there is no other way, and I must suffer, I will still do what you want.”
43 Jesus came back and found them sleeping again. They simply could not keep their eyes open. 44 He left them and prayed the same prayer once more.
45 Finally, Jesus returned to his disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting?[c] The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go. The one who will betray me is already here.”
Jesus Is Arrested
47 Jesus was still speaking, when Judas the betrayer came up. He was one of the twelve disciples, and a large mob armed with swords and clubs was with him. They had been sent by the chief priests and the nation’s leaders. 48 Judas had told them ahead of time, “Arrest the man I greet with a kiss.”[d]
49 Judas walked right up to Jesus and said, “Hello, teacher.” Then Judas kissed him.
50 Jesus replied, “My friend, why are you here?”[e]
The men grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51 One of Jesus' followers pulled out a sword. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
52 But Jesus told him, “Put your sword away. Anyone who lives by fighting will die by fighting. 53 Don’t you know that I could ask my Father, and right away he would send me more than twelve armies of angels? 54 But then, how could the words of the Scriptures come true, which say that this must happen?”
55 Jesus said to the mob, “Why do you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like a criminal? Day after day I sat and taught in the temple, and you didn’t arrest me. 56 But all this happened, so that what the prophets wrote would come true.”
All of Jesus' disciples left him and ran away.
Jesus Is Questioned by the Council
57 After Jesus had been arrested, he was led off to the house of Caiaphas the high priest. The nation’s leaders and the teachers of the Law of Moses were meeting there. 58 But Peter followed along at a distance and came to the courtyard of the high priest’s palace. He went in and sat down with the guards to see what was going to happen.
59 The chief priests and the whole council wanted to put Jesus to death. So they tried to find some people who would tell lies about him in court.[f] 60 But they could not find any, even though many did come and tell lies. At last, two men came forward 61 and said, “This man claimed that he would tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days.”
62 The high priest stood up and asked Jesus, “Why don’t you say something in your own defense? Don’t you hear the charges they are making against you?” 63 But Jesus did not answer. So the high priest said, “With the living God looking on, you must tell the truth. Tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”[g]
64 “That is what you say!” Jesus answered. “But I tell all of you,
‘Soon you will see
the Son of Man
sitting at the right side[h]
of God All-Powerful
and coming on the clouds
of heaven.’”
65 The high priest then tore his robe and said, “This man claims to be God! We don’t need any more witnesses! You have heard what he said. 66 What do you think?”
They answered, “He is guilty and deserves to die!” 67 Then they spit in his face and hit him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “You think you are the Messiah! So tell us who hit you!”
Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus
69 While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus from Galilee.”
70 But in front of everyone Peter said, “That isn’t so! I don’t know what you are talking about!”
71 When Peter had gone out to the gate, another servant girl saw him and said to some people there, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it, and this time he swore, “I don’t even know that man!”
73 A little while later some people standing there walked over to Peter and said, “We know that you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee.”
74 Peter began to curse and swear, “I don’t know that man!”
Right then a rooster crowed, 75 and Peter remembered that Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went out and cried hard.[Footnotes:
26.37 the two brothers, James and John: The Greek text has “the two sons of Zebedee” (see 27.56).
26.39 having me drink from this cup: In the Scriptures “to drink from a cup” sometimes means to suffer (see the note at 20.22).
26.45 Are you still sleeping and resting: Or “You may as well keep on sleeping and resting.”
26.48 the man I greet with a kiss: It was the custom for people to greet each other with a kiss on the cheek.
26.50 Why are you here: Or “do what you came for.”
26.59 some people who would tell lies about him in court: The Law of Moses taught that two witnesses were necessary before a person could be put to death (see verse 60).
26.63 Son of God: One of the titles used for the kings of Israel.
26.64 right side: See the note at 22.44.]
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