The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Reaching Those Who Refuse to Listen" by Rev. Wayne Palmer for Friday, March 11, 2016

The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Reaching Those Who Refuse to Listen" by Rev. Wayne Palmer for Friday, March 11, 2016

And they led Him away to their council, and they said, "If You are the Christ, tell us." ... (Luke 22:66b-67a).
Read Luke 22:66 At daybreak, the people’s council of elders, including both head cohanim and Torah-teachers, met and led him off to their Sanhedrin, 67 where they said, “If you are the Mashiach, tell us.” He answered, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me; 68 and if I ask you, you won’t answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be sitting at the right hand of HaG’vurah,”[Luke 22:69 Psalm 110:1] 70 They all said, “Does this mean, then, that you are the Son of God?” And he answered them, “You say I am.” 71 They said, “Why do we need additional testimony? We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth!”

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When Jesus stands before the Jewish high court they ask if He is the Christ. His answer sounds elusive, but He is laying bare their dark hearts and forcing them to look at their motives. If He utters the truth that He is God's Son, they will not believe. If He asks what more He can do to prove He is the promised Messiah, they will refuse to answer. They've already closed their minds and aren't interested in searching for the truth.
So He points past the cross. After His suffering and death are complete He will be enthroned at the right hand of God. That is the kind of Christ He is: a saving Christ-a heavenly King, not an earthly king. It is a powerful confession and testimony-and a dire warning of their future. Today, they sit in judgment on Him, but on the last day He will be their judge-and their eternal destiny will rest in His hands.
Ignoring His warning they demand, "Are You the Son of God, then?" (Luke 22:70b). Again, His answer might sound evasive to us, but not to the Jewish leaders. He calls their own words as witnesses against them; they are confessing the truth: He is indeed the Christ, the Son of God. Without giving it another thought, they pounce on His words and condemn Jesus to death.
He has done all He can at this time. He has made the great confession. After His death and resurrection, Jesus will send strong men of faith to once again share the story of His salvation and offer them His complete and free forgiveness.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, in love You persistently reached out to stubborn men who hated You for no valid reason. Break through my stubbornness and lead me to repentance and faith. Amen.
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Numbers 3:1 (iv) These are the descendants of Aharon and Moshe as of the day when Adonai spoke with Moshe on Mount Sinai. 2 The names of the sons of Aharon are: Nadav the firstborn, Avihu, El‘azar and Itamar. 3 These were the names of the sons of Aharon the cohen, whom he anointed and ordained as cohanim. 4 But Nadav and Avihu died in the presence of Adonai when they offered unauthorized fire before Adonai in the Sinai Desert, and they had no children; El‘azar and Itamar served as cohanim in the presence of Aharon their father.

5 Adonai said to Moshe, 6 “Summon the tribe of Levi, and assign them to Aharon the cohen, so that they can help him. 7 They are to carry out his duties and the duties of the whole community before the tent of meeting in performing the service of the tabernacle. 8 They are to be in charge of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and to carry out all the duties of the people of Isra’el connected with the service of the tabernacle. 9 Assign the L’vi’im to Aharon and his sons; their one responsibility in regard to the people of Isra’el is to serve him. 10 You are to appoint Aharon and his sons to carry out the duties of cohanim; anyone else who involves himself is to be put to death.”

11 Adonai said to Moshe, 12 “I have taken the L’vi’im from among the people of Isra’el in lieu of every firstborn male that is first from the womb among the people of Isra’el; the L’vi’im are to be mine. 13 All the firstborn males belong to me, because on the day that I killed all the firstborn males in the land of Egypt, I separated for myself all the firstborn males in Isra’el, both human and animal. They are mine; I am Adonai.”

(v) 14 Adonai said to Moshe in the Sinai Desert, 15 “Take a census of the tribe of Levi by clans and families. Count every male a month old or over.” 16 Moshe counted them in the manner Adonai had said, as he had been ordered. 17 The names of the sons of Levi were Gershon, K’hat and M’rari. 18 The names of the sons of Gershon were Livni and Shim‘i; they fathered their respective clans; 19 likewise the sons of K’hat — ‘Amram,Yitz’har, Hevron and ‘Uzi’el — 20 and the sons of M’rari — Machli and Mushi. These fathered the clans of the L’vi’im.

21 Gershon fathered the clans of Livni and Shim‘i; these were the Gershon clans. 22 Of them, 7,500 males a month old and over were counted. 23 The Gershon clans were to camp behind the tabernacle, toward the west. 24 The chief of the Gershon clan was Elyasaf, the son of La’el. 25 In connection with the tent of meeting, the descendants of Gershon were to be in charge of the following: the tabernacle itself, its inner and outer coverings, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26 the curtains surrounding the courtyard, the screen for the entrance of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and the altar, all the fixtures and ropes for these items, and their maintenance.

27 K’hat fathered the clans of ‘Amram, Yitz’har, Hevron and ‘Uzi’el; these were the K’hat clans. 28 Of them, 8,600 males a month old and over were counted; they were in charge of the Holy Place. 29 The K’hat clans were to camp next to the tabernacle, toward the south. 30 The chief of the K’hat clan was Elitzafan the son of ‘Uzi’el. 31 They were responsible for the ark, the table, the menorah, the altars, the utensils the cohanim use when they serve in the Holy Place, the curtain, and everything involved with the maintenance of these things. 32 El‘azar the son of Aharon the cohen was first among the chiefs of the L’vi’im and supervised those in charge of the Holy Place.

33 M’rari fathered the clans of Machli and Mushi; these were the M’rari clans. 34 Of them, 6,200 males a month old and over were counted. 35 The chief of the M’rari clan was Tzuri’el the son of Avichayil. They were to camp next to the tabernacle, toward the north. 36 The M’rari clans were assigned responsibility for the frames of the tabernacle, along with its crossbars, posts, sockets and fittings, together with their maintenance; 37 also the posts of the surrounding courtyard, with their sockets, pegs and ropes.

38 Those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moshe, Aharon and his sons who were in charge of the Holy Place. They carried out their responsibility on behalf of the people of Isra’el, and anyone else who involved himself was to be put to death.

39 The total number of L’vi’im whom Moshe and Aharon counted by their clans, all the males a month old and over, was 22,000.

(vi) 40 Adonai said to Moshe, “Register all the firstborn males of the people of Isra’el a month old and over, and determine how many there are. 41 Then you are to take the L’vi’im for me, Adonai, in place of all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el, and the cattle of the L’vi’im in place of the firstborn of the cattle belonging to the people of Isra’el.” 42 Moshe counted, as Adonai had ordered him, all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el. 43 The total number of firstborn males registered, a month old and over, of those who were counted, was 22,273.

44 Adonai said to Moshe, 45 “Take the L’vi’im in place of all the firstborn among the people of Isra’el, and the cattle of the L’vi’im in place of their cattle; the L’vi’im are to belong to me, Adonai. 46 Since there were 273 more firstborn males from Isra’el than male L’vi’im, in order to redeem them, 47 you are to take five shekels [two ounces] for each of these (use the sanctuary shekel, which is equal to twenty gerahs). 48 Give the redemption money for these extra people to Aharon and his sons.” 49 Moshe took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the L’vi’im; 50 the amount of money he took from the firstborn of the people of Isra’el was 1,365 shekels, using the sanctuary shekel. 51 Moshe gave the redemption-money to Aharon and his sons, in keeping with what Adonai had said, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

4:1 (vii) Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, 2 “Take a census of the descendants of K’hat, who are among the descendants of Levi, by clans and families, 3 all those from thirty to fifty years old; these will enter the corps doing the work in the tent of meeting.

4 “Here is how the descendants of K’hat are to serve in the tent of meeting and deal with the especially holy things: 5 when the time comes to break camp, Aharon is to go in with his sons, take down the curtain which serves as a screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it. 6 On that they are to place a covering of fine leather, and on top of that spread an all-blue cloth. Then they are to insert the carrying-poles. 7 On the table of showbread they are to spread a blue cloth and place on it the dishes, incense pans, offering bowls and pitchers. The perpetual bread is to remain on the table. 8 They are to spread on these things a scarlet cloth, cover them with a covering of fine leather and insert the poles. 9 They are to take a blue cloth and cover the menorah for the light, its lamps, its tongs, its trays and the jars used to add oil to it. 10 They are to wrap it and all its accessories in fine leather and place them on a carrying-frame. 11 On the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth, cover it with a covering of fine leather and insert its carrying-poles. 12 They are to take all the utensils they use when serving in the sanctuary and put them in a blue cloth, cover them with fine leather and place them on a carrying-frame. 13 After removing the greasy ashes from the altar, they are to spread a purple cloth over it 14 and place on it all the utensils required for their altar service — the fire pans, meat-hooks, shovels, basins and other utensils for the altar. Then they are to spread over it a fine leather covering and insert its carrying-poles. 15 When Aharon and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy utensils, when the camp is about to move forward, then the descendants of K’hat are to come and carry them. But they are not to touch the holy things, so that they won’t die. These things are the responsibility of the descendants of K’hat in the tent of meeting.

16 “El‘azar the son of Aharon the cohen is to be responsible for the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the continuing grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

(Maftir) 17 Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, 18 “Do not cut off the clan of K’hat from among the L’vi’im; 19 rather, do this for them, so that they will live and not die: when they approach the especially holy things, Aharon and his sons are to go in — and you are to assign each one his task; 20 but the descendants of K’hat are not to go in and look at the holy things as they are being covered; if they do, they will die.”

21 Adonai said to Moshe, 22 “Take a census of the descendants of Gershon also, by clans and families; 23 count all those between thirty and fifty years old, all who will enter the corps doing the work of serving in the tent of meeting.

24 “The Gershon families are to be responsible for serving and for transporting loads. 25 They are to carry the curtains of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, its covering, the fine leather covering above it, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, 26 the tapestries for the courtyard, and the screen for the entrance to the courtyard by the tabernacle and around the altar, along with the ropes and all the utensils they need for their service; and they are to do the work connected with these things. 27 Aharon and his sons are to supervise all the work of the Gershon clan in transporting loads and serving, and to assign them who is to carry what. 28 This is how the Gershon families are to serve in the tent of meeting, and they are to be under the direction of Itamar the son of Aharon the cohen.

29 “As for the descendants of M’rari, take a census by clans and families 30 of all those between thirty and fifty years old, all who will be in the corps doing the work of serving in the tent of meeting.

31 “Their service for the tent of meeting will be to carry the frames, crossbars, posts and sockets of the tabernacle; 32 also the posts for the surrounding courtyard, with their sockets, tent pegs, ropes and other accessories, and everything having to do with their service. You are to assign particular loads to specific persons by name. 33 This is how the M’rari families are to serve in the tent of meeting, directed by Itamar the son of Aharon the cohen.”

(S: ii) 34 Moshe, Aharon and the community leaders took a census of the descendants of K’hat by their clans and families, 35 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of the corps serving in the tent of meeting. 36 Registered by their families, they numbered 2,750. 37 These are the ones counted from the K’hat families of all those serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moshe and Aharon enumerated, in keeping with the order given by Adonai through Moshe.

(A: ii) 38 The census of the descendants of Gershon, by their clans and families, 39 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of the corps serving in the tent of meeting, 40 yielded 2,630, registered by their clans and families. 41 These are the ones counted from the families of the descendants of Gershon of all those serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moshe and Aharon enumerated, in keeping with the order given by Adonai.

42 The census of the families of the descendants of M’rari, by their clans and families, 43 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of the corps serving in the tent of meeting, 44 yielded 3,200, registered by their families. 45 These are the ones counted from the families of the descendants of M’rari, whom Moshe and Aharon enumerated, in keeping with the order given by Adonai through Moshe.

46 The census of the L’vi’im, whom Moshe, Aharon and the leaders of Isra’el enumerated by their clans and families, 47 all those between thirty and fifty years old who were part of those working to serve and working to carry loads in the tent of meeting, 48 yielded a total of 8,580 persons.

49 According to Adonai’s order they were appointed by Moshe, each one to his specific service or work. They were also enumerated, as Adonai had ordered Moshe.

Mark 12:28 One of the Torah-teachers came up and heard them engaged in this discussion. Seeing that Yeshua answered them well, he asked him, “Which is the most important mitzvah of them all?” 29 Yeshua answered, “The most important is,

‘Sh’ma Yisra’el, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear, O Isra’el, the Lord our God, the Lord is one], 30 and you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your understanding and with all your strength.’[Mark 12:30 Deuteronomy 6:4–5]

31 The second is this:

‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’[Mark 12:31 Leviticus 19:18]

There is no other mitzvah greater than these.” 32 The Torah-teacher said to him, “Well said, Rabbi; you speak the truth when you say that he is one, and that there is no other besides him; 33 and that loving him with all one’s heart, understanding and strength, and loving one’s neighbor as oneself, mean more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Yeshua saw that he responded sensibly, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared put to him another sh’eilah.

35 As Yeshua was teaching in the Temple, he asked, “How is it that the Torah-teachers say the Messiah is the Son of David? 36 David himself, inspired by the Ruach HaKodesh, said,

‘Adonai said to my Lord,

“Sit here at my right hand

until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’[Mark 12:36 Psalm 110:1]

37 David himself calls him ‘Lord’; so how is he his son?”

The great crowd listened eagerly to him. 38 As he taught them, he said, “Watch out for the kind of Torah-teachers who like to walk around in robes and be greeted deferentially in the marketplaces, 39 who like to have the best seats in the synagogues and take the places of honor at banquets, 40 who like to swallow up widows’ houses while making a show of davvening at great length. Their punishment will be all the worse!”

41 Then Yeshua sat down opposite the Temple treasury and watched the crowd as they put money into the offering-boxes. Many rich people put in large sums, 42 but a poor widow came and put in two small coins. 43 He called his talmidim to him and said to them, “Yes! I tell you, this poor widow has put more in the offering-box than all the others making donations. 44 For all of them, out of their wealth, have contributed money they can easily spare; but she, out of her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.”

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The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "Bearing the Punishment We Deserve" by Rev. Wayne Palmer for Thursday, March 10, 2016

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him as they beat Him. They also blindfolded Him and kept asking Him, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck You?" And they said many other things against Him, blaspheming Him (Luke 22:63-65).
Read Luke 22:63 Meanwhile, the men who were holding Yeshua made fun of him. They beat him, 64 blindfolded him, and kept asking him, “Now, ‘prophesy’! Who hit you that time?” 65 And they said many other insulting things to him..
For months the Jewish authorities have held a deepening grudge against Jesus. Now they unleash their pent up frustration and hatred. Luke the physician tells us their blows bruised and tore Jesus' skin. Matthew and Mark add that they struck Jesus with their fists and spat in His face. All the Gospels point out that this abuse-both physical and verbal-went on and on. These were the dignified, high officials of Judah lashing out against a bound man.
But the abuse takes on a mocking tone which we will see repeated many times this day. They blindfold Jesus and take turns striking Him, asking the Prophet which of them had struck Him. They condemn Jesus for blasphemy because He claimed to be God's Son, but they are unaware they are the guilty ones, blaspheming the Son of God who stands meekly before them.
Jesus knows full well who is hitting Him, yet He remains silent. He is suffering exactly what each of them-and each of us deserves to suffer for our disobedience to God and our mistreatment of one another. Yet Jesus patiently bears it all in our place. He does not retaliate or curse; instead, He remains silent. We wonder what He is thinking. He'll show us shortly when He cries out from the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34b).
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You endured the abuse and mistreatment I deserve. Forgive my sins against You, and give me patience when I suffer wrongly for Your sake. Amen.
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Numbers 1:1 Adonai spoke to Moshe in the Sinai Desert, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month of the second year after they had left the land of Egypt. He said, 2 “Take a census of the entire assembly of the people of Isra’el, by clans and families. Record the names of all the men 3 twenty years old and over who are subject to military service in Isra’el. You and Aharon are to enumerate them company by company.

4 Take with you from each tribe someone who is head of a clan. 5 These are the men to take with you:

From Re’uven, Elitzur the son of Sh’de’ur;

6 From Shim‘on, Shlumi’el the son of Tzurishaddai;

7 From Y’hudah, Nachshon the son of ‘Amminadav;

8 From Yissakhar, N’tan’el the son of Tzu‘ar;

9 From Z’vulun, Eli’av the son of Helon.

10 Of the children of Yosef:

    From Efrayim, Elishama the son of ‘Ammihud;

    From M’nasheh, Gamli’el the son of P’dahtzur.

11 From Binyamin, Avidan the son of Gid‘oni;

12 From Dan, Achi‘ezer the son of ‘Ammishaddai;

13 From Asher, Pag‘i’el the son of ‘Okhran;

14 From Gad, Elyasaf the son of De‘u’el;

15 From Naftali, Achira the son of ‘Enan.”

16 These were the ones called from the assembly, the chiefs of their fathers’ clans and heads of thousands in Isra’el. 17 So Moshe and Aharon took these men who had been designated by name; 18 and, on the first day of the second month, they gathered the whole assembly to state their genealogies by families and clans and recorded the names of all those twenty years old and over, as well as their total numbers. 19 Moshe counted them in the Sinai Desert, just as Adonai had ordered him.

(ii) 20 The men twenty years old and over who were subject to military service were recorded by name, family and clan, starting with the descendants of Re’uven, Isra’el’s firstborn. Here are the totals:

21 Descendants of Re’uven 46,500

22-23 Descendants of Shim‘on 59,300

24-25 Descendants of Gad 45,650

26-27 Descendants of Y’hudah 74,600

28-29 Descendants of Yissakhar 54,400

30-31 Descendants of Z’vulun 57,400

32-33 Descendants of Efrayim 40,500

34-35 Descendants of M’nasheh 32,200

36-37 Descendants of Binyamin 35,400

38-39 Descendants of Dan 62,700

40-41 Descendants of Asher 41,500

42-43 Descendants of Naftali 53,400

44 Moshe, Aharon and the twelve leaders of Isra’el, each from a clan, 45 counted the people of Isra’el by their clans, those twenty years old and over, eligible for military service in Isra’el; 46 and the grand total came to 603,550.

47 But those who were L’vi’im, according to the clan of their fathers, were not counted in this census; 48 because Adonai had told Moshe, 49 “Do not include the clan of Levi when you take the census of the people of Isra’el. 50 Instead, give the L’vi’im charge over the tabernacle of the testimony, its equipment and everything else connected with it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its equipment, serve in it and set up their camp around it. 51 When the tabernacle is to be moved onward, it is the L’vi’im who are to take it down and set it up in the new location; anyone else who involves himself is to be put to death. 52 The rest of Isra’el are to set up camp, company by company, each man with his own banner. 53 But the L’vi’im are to camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that no anger will come upon the assembly of the people of Isra’el. The L’vi’im are to be in charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.”

54 This is what the people of Isra’el did — they did everything that Adonai had ordered Moshe.

2:1 (iii) Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, 2 “The people of Isra’el are to set up camp by clans, each man with his own banner and under his clan’s symbol; they are to camp around the tent of meeting, but at a distance.

3-9 “Those camping on the east side toward the sunrise are to be under the banner of the camp of Y’hudah; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows:

Tribe Chief Number

Y’hudah Nachshon the son of ‘Amminadav 74,600

Yissakhar N’tan’el the son of Tzu‘ar 54,400

Z’vulun Eli’av the son of Helon 57,400

Total 186,400

“This group is to set out first.

10-16 “Those camping on the south are to be under the banner of the camp of Re’uven; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows:

Tribe Chief Number

Re’uven Elitzur the son of Sh’de’ur 46,500

Shim‘on Shlumi’el the son of Tzurishaddai 59,300

Gad Elyasaf the son of Re‘u’el 45,650

Total 151,450

“This group is to set out second.

17 “Then the tent of meeting, with the camp of the L’vi’im, will set out, with the other camps in front and behind. They will go in the same order as their camps are set up — each man will go forward in his position, under his banner.

18-24 “Those camping on the west are to be under the banner of the camp of Efrayim; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows:

Tribe Chief Number

Efrayim Elishama the son of ‘Ammihud 40,500

M’nasheh Gamli’el the son of P’dahtzur 32,200

Binyamin Avidan the son of Gid‘oni 35,400

Total 108,100

“This group is to set out third.

25-31 “Those camping on the north are to be under the banner of the camp of Dan; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows:

Tribe Chief Number

Dan Achi‘ezer the son of ‘Ammishaddai 62,700

Asher Pag‘i’el the son of ‘Okhran 41,500

Naftali Achira the son of ‘Enan 53,400

Total 157,600

“This group is to set out last with their banners.”

32 These are the ones counted from the people of Isra’el by clans; the total number recorded in the camps, company by company, was 603,550. 33 But, as Adonai ordered Moshe, the L’vi’im were not counted with the rest of Isra’el.

34 The people of Isra’el did everything Adonai had ordered Moshe: they set up camp under their banners, and they set out, each according to his family and clan.

Mark 12:1

 Yeshua began speaking to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the wine press and built a tower; then he rented it to tenant-farmers and left. 2 When harvest-time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the crop from the vineyard. 3 But they took him, beat him up and sent him away empty-handed. 4 So he sent another servant; this one they punched in the head and insulted. 5 He sent another one, and him they killed; and so with many others — some they beat up, others they killed. 6 He had still one person left, a son whom he loved; in the end, he sent him to them, saying, ‘My son they will respect.’ 7 But the tenants said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 So they seized him, killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others! 10 Haven’t you read the passage in the Tanakh that says,

‘The very rock which the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone!

11 This has come from Adonai,

and in our eyes it is amazing’?”[Mark 12:11 Psalm 118:22–23]

12 They set about to arrest him, for they recognized that he had told the parable with reference to themselves. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.

13 Next they sent some P’rushim and some members of Herod’s party to him in order to trap him with a sh’eilah. 14 They came and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you tell the truth and are not concerned with what people think about you, since you pay no attention to a person’s status but really teach what God’s way is. Does Torah say that taxes are to be paid to the Roman Emperor, or not?” 15 But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a denarius so I can look at it.” 16 They brought one; and he asked them, “Whose name and picture are these?” “The Emperor’s,” they replied. 17 Yeshua said, “Give the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor. And give to God what belongs to God!” And they were amazed at him.

18 Then some Tz’dukim came to him. They are the ones who say there is no such thing as resurrection, so they put to him a sh’eilah: 19 “Rabbi, Moshe wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and have children to preserve the man’s family line.[Mark 12:19 Deuteronomy 25:5–6] 20 There were seven brothers. The first one took a wife, and when he died, he left no children. 21 Then the second one took her and died without leaving children, and the third likewise, 22 and none of the seven left children. Last of all, the woman also died. 23 In the Resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”

24 Yeshua said to them, “Isn’t this the reason that you go astray? because you are ignorant both of the Tanakh and of the power of God? 25 For when people rise from the dead, neither men nor women marry — they are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, haven’t you read in the book of Moshe, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov’?[

Mark 12:26 Exodus 3:6

] 27 He is God not of the dead, but of the living! You are going far astray!”

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The Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States "A Powerful Glance" by Rev. Wayne Palmer for Wednesday, March 9, 2016

And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. ... (Luke 22:60b-61a).
Read Luke 22:60 But Kefa said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” And instantly, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Kefa; and Kefa remembered what the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went outside and cried bitterly..
While Peter is still uttering his third denial, the rooster crows. And immediately the Lord Jesus turns and looks at Peter.
How does Jesus happen to be here right at this very moment? He was first tried before the high priest and Jewish high court in the middle of the night (see Matthew 26:57-68). It is likely He has been held in a place of confinement and now is being brought back before the court so it can render a legal verdict.
Despite all He has suffered and all the agony that still awaits Him, Jesus' greatest concern is for Peter. He has already prayed for him, and now He looks upon him. Not with anger, judgment and retribution, but with loving concern for His disciple's salvation. With a look He brings Peter back to repentance and faith.
Peter sees the haunting face of Jesus, and hears the rooster's crow. Suddenly, the Lord's words come flooding into his mind: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times" (Matthew 26:75b).
Peter is cut to the heart and dissolves into tears. Not just tears, Luke's word describes loud, audible sobbing. It may seem strange that the guards don't move in, but they are busy moving Jesus. Once again, Jesus offers Himself to protect His disciple, providing Peter the opportunity to escape to safety. But He didn't just save Peter from the soldiers-He saved him from Satan's trap, and through His suffering and death He will save Peter and all of us from God's wrath.
If Jesus can forgive Peter's denial, be assured He can forgive your worst sins.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, with Your glance You brought about Peter's repentance. Look upon me, that I may turn from my sins with repentant tears-and follow You. Amen.
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Leviticus 26:1 “‘You are not to make yourselves any idols, erect a carved statue or a standing-stone, or place any carved stone anywhere in your land in order to bow down to it. I am Adonai your God.

2 “‘Keep my Shabbats, and revere my sanctuary; I am Adonai.

3 “‘If you live by my regulations, observe my mitzvot and obey them; 4 then I will provide the rain you need in its season, the land will yield its produce, and the trees in the field will yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing time will extend until the grape harvest, and your grape harvesting will extend until the time for sowing seed. You will eat as much food as you want and live securely in your land.

(LY: ii) 6 “‘I will give shalom in the land — you will lie down to sleep unafraid of anyone. I will rid the land of wild animals. The sword will not go through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before your sword. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand — your enemies will fall before your sword.

9 “‘I will turn toward you, make you productive, increase your numbers and uphold my covenant with you. (RY: v, LY: iii) 10 You will eat all you want from last year’s harvest and throw out what remains of the old to make room for the new. 11 I will put my tabernacle among you, and I will not reject you, 12 but I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke, so that you can walk upright.

14 “‘But if you will not listen to me and obey all these mitzvot, 15 if you loathe my regulations and reject my rulings, in order not to obey all my mitzvot but cancel my covenant; 16 then I, for my part, will do this to you: I will bring terror upon you — wasting disease and chronic fever to dim your sight and sap your strength. You will sow your seed for nothing, because your enemies will eat the crops. 17 I will set my face against you — your enemies will defeat you, those who hate you will hound you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you.

18 If these things don’t make you listen to me, then I will discipline you seven times over for your sins. 19 I will break the pride you have in your own power. I will make your sky like iron, your soil like bronze — 20 you will spend your strength in vain, because the land will not yield its produce or the trees in the field their fruit.

21 “‘Yes, if you go against me and don’t listen to me, I will increase your calamities sevenfold, according to your sins. 22 I will send wild animals among you; they will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock and reduce your numbers, until your roads are deserted.

23 “‘If, in spite of all this, you refuse my correction and still go against me; 24 then I too will go against you; and I, yes I, will strike you seven times over for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword against you which will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be huddled inside your cities, I will send sickness among you, and you will be handed over to the power of the enemy. 26 I will cut off your supply of bread, so that ten women will bake your bread in one oven and dole out your bread by weight, and you will eat but not be satisfied.

27 “‘And if, for all this, you still will not listen to me, but go against me; 28 then I will go against you furiously, and I also will chastise you yet seven times more for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your own sons, you will eat the flesh of your own daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your pillars for sun-worship, and throw your carcasses on the carcasses of your idols; and I will detest you. 31 I will lay waste to your cities and make your sanctuaries desolate, so as not to smell your fragrant aromas. 32 I will desolate the land, so that your enemies living in it will be astounded by it. 33 You I will disperse among the nations, and I will draw out the sword in pursuit after you; your land will be a desolation and your cities a wasteland. 34 Then, at last, the land will be paid its Shabbats. As long as it lies desolate and you are in the lands of your enemies, the land will rest and be repaid its Shabbats. 35 Yes, as long as it lies desolate it will have rest, the rest it did not have during your Shabbats, when you lived there. 36 As for those of you who are left, I will fill their hearts with anxiety in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will frighten them, so that they will flee as one flees from the sword and fall when no one is pursuing. 37 Yes, with no one pursuing they will stumble over each other as if fleeing the sword — you will have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 And among the nations you will perish; the land of your enemies will devour you.

39 Those of you who remain will pine away in the lands of your enemies from guilt over your misdeeds and those of your ancestors. 40 Then they will confess their misdeeds and those of their ancestors which they committed against me in their rebellion; they will admit that they went against me. 41 At that time I will be going against them, bringing them into the lands of their enemies. But if their uncircumcised hearts will grow humble, and they are paid the punishment for their misdeeds; 42 then I will remember my covenant with Ya‘akov, also my covenant with Yitz’chak and my covenant with Avraham; and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will lie abandoned without them, and it will be paid its Shabbats while it lies desolate without them; and they will be paid the punishment for their misdeeds, because they rejected my rulings and loathed my regulations. 44 Yet, in spite of all that, I will not reject them when they are in the lands of their enemies, nor will I loathe them to the point of utterly destroying them and thus break my covenant with them, because I am Adonai their God. 45 Rather, for their sakes, I will remember the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt — with the nations watching — so that I might be their God; I am Adonai.’”

46 These are the laws, rulings and teachings that Adonai himself gave to the people of Isra’el on Mount Sinai through Moshe.

27:1 (RY: vi; LY: iv) Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘If someone makes a clearly defined vow to Adonai to give him an amount equal to the value of a human being, 3 the value you are to assign to a man between the ages of twenty and sixty years is to be fifty shekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds], with the sanctuary shekel being the standard, 4 if a woman, thirty shekels. 5 If it is a child five to twenty years old, assign a value of twenty shekels for a boy and ten for a girl; 6 if a baby one month to five years of age, five shekels for a boy and three for a girl; 7 if a person past sixty, fifteen shekels for a man and ten for a woman. 8 If the person is too poor to be evaluated, set him before the cohen, who will assign him a value in keeping with the means of the person who made the vow.

9 “‘If the vow is for the value of an animal of the kind used when people bring an offering to Adonai, all that a person gives of such animals to Adonai will be holy. 10 He is not to exchange or replace it by substituting a good animal for a bad one or vice versa; if he does make such a substitution, both the original animal and the one replacing it will be holy. 11 If the animal is an unclean one, such as may not be used in an offering to Adonai, he must set it before the cohen; 12 and the cohen is to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by you the cohen will stand. 13 But if the person making the vow wishes to redeem the animal, he must add one-fifth to your valuation.

14 “‘When a person consecrates his house to be holy for Adonai, the cohen is to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by the cohen will stand. 15 If the consecrator wishes to redeem his house, he must add one-fifth to the value you have set on it; and it will revert to him.

(RY: vii, LY: v) 16 “‘If a person consecrates to Adonai part of a field belonging to his tribe’s possession, you are to value it according to its production, with five bushels of barley being valued at fifty shekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds]. 17 If he consecrates his field during the year of yovel, this valuation will stand. 18 But if he consecrates his field after the yovel, then the cohen is to calculate the price according to the years remaining till the next yovel, with a corresponding reduction from your valuation. 19 If the one consecrating the field wishes to redeem it, he must add one-fifth to your valuation, and the field will be set aside to revert to him. 20 If the seller does not wish to redeem the field, or if [the treasurer for the cohanim] has already sold the field to someone else, it can no longer be redeemed. 21 But when the purchaser has to vacate the field in the yovel, it will become holy to Adonai, like a field unconditionally consecrated; it will belong to the cohanim.

(LY: vi) 22 “‘If he consecrates to Adonai a field which he has bought, a field which is not part of his tribe’s possession, 23 then the cohen is to calculate its value according to the years remaining until the year of yovel; and the man will on that same day pay this amount; since it is holy to Adonai. 24 In the year of yovel the field will revert to the person from whom it was bought, that is, to the person to whose tribal possession it belongs.

25 “‘All your valuations are to be according to the sanctuary shekel [two-fifths of an ounce], twenty gerahs to the shekel.

26 “‘However, the firstborn among animals, since it is already born as a firstborn for Adonai, no one can consecrate — neither ox nor sheep — since it belongs to Adonai already. 27 But if it is an unclean animal, he may redeem it at the price at which you value it and add one-fifth; or if he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at the price at which you value it. 28 However, nothing consecrated unconditionally which a person may consecrate to Adonai out of all he owns — person, animal or field he possesses — is to be sold or redeemed; because everything consecrated unconditionally is especially holy to Adonai. (LY: vii) 29 No person who has been sentenced to die, and thus unconditionally consecrated, can be redeemed; he must be put to death.

30 “‘All the tenth given from the land, whether from planted seed or fruit from trees, belongs to Adonai; it is holy to Adonai. 31 If someone wants to redeem any of his tenth, he must add to it one-fifth.

(Maftir) 32 “‘All the tenth from the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the shepherd’s crook, the tenth one will be holy to Adonai. 33 The owner is not to inquire whether the animal is good or bad, and he cannot exchange it; if he does exchange it, both it and the one he substituted for it will be holy; it cannot be redeemed.’”

34 These are the mitzvot which Adonai gave to Moshe for the people of Isra’el on Mount Sinai.

Mark 11:19 When evening came, they left the city.

20 In the morning, as the talmidim passed by, they saw the fig tree withered all the way to its roots. 21 Kefa remembered and said to Yeshua, “Rabbi! Look! The fig tree that you cursed has dried up!” 22 He responded, “Have the kind of trust that comes from God! 23 Yes! I tell you that whoever does not doubt in his heart but trusts that what he says will happen can say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ and it will be done for him. 24 Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, trust that you are receiving it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive your offenses.” 26 [Mark 11:26 Some manuscripts include verse 11:26: But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your offenses.”]

27 They went back into Yerushalayim; and as he was walking in the Temple courts, there came to him the head cohanim, the Torah-teachers and the elders; 28 and they said to him, “What s’mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? Who gave you this s’mikhah authorizing you to do them?” 29 Yeshua said to them, “I will ask you just one question: answer me, and I will tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things. 30 The immersion of Yochanan — was it from Heaven or from a human source? Answer me.” 31 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From Heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From a human source, . . . ’” — they were afraid of the people, for they all regarded Yochanan as a genuine prophet. 33 So they answered Yeshua, “We don’t know.” “Then,” he replied, “I won’t tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things.”

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