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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, January 18, 2019
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:The Death of Judas Iscariot Bible Verse:Acts 1:12-20 "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers and sisters. In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “‘Let another take his office.’" Message:
Olivet is the same as the Mount of Olives, a pleasant place just outside Jerusalem. The “Sabbath day’s journey” does not mean it was the Sabbath, but rather, describes the distance a Jew was permitted to walk on the Sabbath. Jews were basically forbidden from traveling on the Sabbath, but if necessary (to go to worship, for example) they could walk within a radius of 1000 yards from their residence.
We see the kernel of the Christian church in this passage; only 120 people, including eleven apostles and Jesus’ family. It is the seed of plant that will overgrow the entire earth, one day; but at this time, things seemed rather precarious. They were still hiding from the Pharisees, since they preferred a cramped upper room to the outdoors, which would have been a preferable place to meet for so many. Really, the rise of Christianity from such a small group is a miracle, when you think about the thousands of religious groups that have formed and then disappeared from history after their leader died.
Judas Hanged (detail) | Psalter-Hours of Guiluys de Boisleux | after 1246
Notice also that Peter is the first to speak. He has already become the leader, as was anointed by Christ.
The account of Judas’ death in Acts seems to differ from the account in Matthew 27:3-10, which relates that Judas hanged himself. There is actually a third account of his death from a reliable source, an early Christian bishop named Papias, that states that Judas became swollen and had his gut burst by a chariot. The accounts can be reconciled, especially in the original Greek, but without doubt Judas died an ugly death, out of touch with his formerly beloved friends.
It would have been hard for them to know what happened to Judas. Judas would have left without telling them where he was going, and being in seclusion, they were not in a position to investigate. None of them stayed in touch with him (which is why Peter has to tell everyone the account he has heard). They had to rely on rumor, and the rumors would have been scarce, since Judas was hardly a person of any importance in the city.
Meditation : Prayer : Now to him who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present ourselves blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.........Amen. |
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