Bible Devotion

Day 1

Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions below.

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 22:23–33

The Sadducees are believed to be a priestly class that elevated the Law of Moses above all other OT scriptures, and since the Law of Moses does not touch on the resurrection, they “say there is no resurrection” (See COBTAEL, Vol. IX, 236.)

1. Do the Sadducees really want to know the truth or are they simply trying to prove their point?

2. Do you detect a similar attitude in you at times?

3. The Sadducees are quoting from Deuteronomy 25:5-10. What is the intention of the Law of Moses in this respect?

4. In their opinion, why would such a case (which is probably hypothetical) make “resurrection” improbable?

5. What kinds of error does Jesus charge them with in v. 29 and why?

6. What does v. 30 really mean and how should you then apply it to your life on earth?

7. Let’s learn from Jesus’ interpretation of Exodus 3:6. What is the context of this statement? What is the main purpose of this statement by God? How does Jesus interpret it?

8. Why is the crowd astonished at Jesus’ teaching? Are you? Why?

9. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Meditative Reflection
We are a “theatron”

I like the analogy used by Rev. David Ng in explaining this life and the next. He said it was like a play in the theatre. As we play our parts in a play, as sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and spouses, as good and faithful actors, we would not just play our parts, but would immerse ourselves in the characters. As a result, the laughters are heart-felt, the tears are real and the struggles are emotional. Without such identification with the characters in the play, we cannot be faithful actors, good actors. But once we come off the stage, if we still harbor the hatred, the hurt and struggles, it would be foolish. If we still cling to the filial relations it would be laughable. It is how it is with this earthly life, as Paul puts it, “We are a theatron” (1 Co. 4:9).

Indeed, this life is just temporal, too temporal when compared to eternity. In this temporal theater, we have relations of all kinds, but as Jesus says in Matthew 22 to the Sadducees, once we leave this earthly stage, we will be like angels in heaven, all earthly relations cease.

However, the analogy stops here, because as temporal as our earthly existence is, it is real. God has put us here to learn, to experience and to practice the fullness of His love, through genuine human relationships. Because we are all made in God’s image, to be truly human, therefore is to be truly like God, in all His characters. So, it is a blessing that through God-given relationships, we have a taste of what it is like to love and to be loved, as husband and wife, as father and son, and as daughter and mother after the love of God. However, the fact remains, once we are off this earthly stage, we are all simply children of God.

Perhaps, such an understanding would help us in yearning for eternity and in learning to be less attached to our emotional dependency, especially when it comes to the departure of our loved ones.

Day 2

Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions below.

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 22:34–46

1. In what sense was it a test?

2. What might be the reason behind asking which the most important commandment of all was? Should there be one such? What might be his mentality or approach toward the law?

3. One would think that since the Ten Commandments are of such importance, the most important commandment should be quoted from among them. Yet Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. Why didn’t Jesus quote directly from the Ten Commandments?

4. Can anyone “keep” this first and greatest commandment? If no one can truly keep it, what is it there for? (See Gal. 3:24.)

5. The tester was asking which is the greatest commandment. Why did Jesus cite two instead of one? What answer might be provided by v. 40? (What does “hang on” mean?)

6. Read 1 John 4:20-21. How does John clarify the relationship between these two greatest commandments?

7. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?


Meditative Reflection
The Commandments

In life, we often prefer things to be neat and tidy, and black and white, and this is, perhaps, why we prefer multiple choices when it comes to writing our exams. The more precise a standard or requirement is, the easier it is to manage, or the fairer it will be.

Unfortunately, life is not like that.

As much as the law of our land seeks to be clear and precise, it is impossible to achieve. There are not only loopholes, but grey areas as well. And the lawyers like it that way. The more unclear the law is, the more they can earn in exploiting it to their favor, or the favor of their clients. But it was not like this with the lawyers in Jesus’ days.

They tried to make it as black and white as they could, and as a result, they had invented hundreds more rules in their effort to make the law precise, observable, and morally measurable.

The question is: Why did God not make it more precise in the first place? Was He not capable of so doing? The answer is, “Obviously not!”.

Paul explains to us that the Law of Moses is given, not only to show us God’s own character and desire for us, but also to draw us to Christ. It is given to show us that there is no hope for any of us to keep it in order to gain righteousness before God — i.e. a right standing and relationship with God. As a result, we need Christ who is our righteousness. Therefore, what really is important is not the letter of the law, because “the letter kills, but Spirit gives life,” which is the essence of the New Covenant. (2 Co. 3:6)

Jesus sums up the spirit of the law even more clearly when He answers the inquiring scribe with what the greatest commandment is in Matthew 22. Together with loving one’s neighbor, He says, “all the Law and Prophets hang on” them. (22:40)

If we truly love God, we will love one another. If we truly love both God and men, we will have fulfilled the requirement of “all” the Law. I wonder why we are so concerned with hanging the Ten Commandments in the court room and not the two Greatest Commandments summed up by Jesus? What don’t we get?

Day 3

Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions below.

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 23:1–12

The scribes are professional teachers of the Law and the Pharisees pride themselves to be strict followers of the Law of Moses.

1. Vv. 1-4:
a. What is meant by sitting in Moses’ seat?

b. In taking the seat of Moses what mistakes did they make?

c. Is it hard to take the teachings of someone whom you know does not do what they teach in the church? Why would Jesus command us to obey people like this?

d. Be honest with yourself, are you also guilty of such hypocrisy?
2. Vv. 5-7:
a. What was their core problem?

b. In what areas did they exhibit their problems?
3. Examine yourself in light of their errors. Vv. 8-12  In urging us not to fall into their errors, Jesus points out who we are and who God is:
a. Who are we?

b. Who are God and Christ?

c. Should we then, within the church of God, call ourselves Rabbis, Fathers (or Doctors) or Teachers?
4. The last verse here appears to be a “guarantee”. What is this guarantee?

5. How can we grow from forcing ourselves to be humble to being humble naturally?

6. Why do you think Jesus felt it necessary to launch such harsh attacks on the scribes and the Pharisees?

7. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Meditative Reflection
We are Brothers

As Christians after the Reformation, we have a tendency to question the title “Father” within the Catholic church, especially in light of Jesus’ clear teaching in Matthew 23:9, “And do not call anyone on earth father…”

Jesus is attacking the Pharisaic attitude of pride and their desire to elevate themselves above others among the people of God. As a result, Jesus reminds us that we are all brothers, only God is our Master, our Father and our Teacher.

As we view the “Pope” and the “Fathers” with skepticism (and rightfully so), we are really no better. How many pastors insist that their name cards would bear the title of “doctor” (whether it is Ph. D. or D. Min), or the congregation to call them as such? Is the title Pastor, or Reverend not honorable enough?

To take the seat of Moses is bad enough for the Pharisees (Matt. 23:2). Whose seat are we trying to take in the house of God?

Such pride and desire for elevation is not confined to the clergy, obviously. As Rev. Stephen Chan once remarked, “Many who cannot occupy a position of power in the secular world have resorted to grabbing power in the church instead.” In my own personal experience, such hunger for power and recognition is not confined to those who cannot do so in the secular world. It is human nature for us all to seek power and recognition, whether it is in the world or in the church. We all need to heed Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees, because we are really not too different from them.

Day 4

Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions below.

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 23:13–22

Jesus follows up his harsh attacks on these religious leaders with what is commonly known as the “seven woes” of the Pharisees. Today we shall consider the first three woes:

1. The 1st  Woe (vv. 13-14)
a. What sin does Jesus accuse them of?

b. Can you think of any contemporary “Christian” religions/cults that might be guilty of the same sin?

c. What might be the “ways” in which they are preventing their flocks from entering the kingdom of God?

d. Why are they called hypocrites in this respect?
2. The 2nd Woe (v. 15)
a. What kind of sacrifice and determination was described by Jesus concerning these Pharisees and scribes?

b. Why would they make such a commitment? What might their motive be?

c. What does this say about the Mormons and the Jehovah Witness?
3. The 3rd Woe (vv. 16-22)
a. What is meant by being a blind guide?

b. In what way may one become a blind guide?

c. Why would they make a difference between swearing by the gold of the temple and by the temple itself?

d. What about the altar and the gifts? Why would they try to differentiate between the two?

e. What might be their justification?

f. What might be their true intent?

g. In what ways are they both blind and being fools?

h. How do verses 20-22 answer their (evil) intent?
4. Of the above three woes, what might be the most serious sin?

5. What then is the essential message of these warnings and how may you apply it in your life?

Meditative Reflection
Not far from the Kingdom of God!

Matthew, Mark and Luke all took a different angle in reporting the dialogue between Jesus and the scribe concerning the greatest commandment, the dialogue as recorded by Mark ended with these haunting words by Jesus, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” (12:34)

As much as the scribe might have had the intention of testing Jesus, but his wise and possibly sincere commendation of Jesus’ reply ushered him so close to the Kingdom of God. Yet, he still was not inside the Kingdom. Respecting Jesus as a wiser teacher or even a prophet was not enough; he had to believe in Him as the Messiah, the Son of God.

I still remember the time I sat beside a Mormon on a flight from San Francisco to Vancouver. He was a medical doctor and had a wonderful family. From our conversation, I came to understand that he took the teaching of his church seriously and, kind of like the rich, young ruler that Jesus talked to, he sincerely tried to keep all the commandments. And what prompted our conversation was his reading of his Book of Mormon and my reading of my Bible. We were both doing our devotion. At the end of the flight and our conversation, I had grown to like him a lot. But I left with haunting feeling that while he was so close to the Kingdom of God, he was not in it yet. He had yet to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only way to salvation.

I can’t help but think that Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees in making such an effort, to travel over land and sea to win a single convert, “and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matt. 23:15)

In this generation of moral corruption, we are so tempted to admire many of the Mormon families because of their moral conviction and lifestyle. Let’s pray for them that these would not give them a false sense of eternal security, but would bring them to understand their need for salvation through Christ, because salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:9)

Day 5

Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions below.

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 23:23–28

1. The 4th Woe (vv. 23-24):
a. Does Jesus think tithing is not important?

b. What should be the purpose of tithing?

c. Why are justice, mercy and faithfulness more important matters of the law?

d. In Jesus’ metaphors, what is a gnat and what is a camel? (Note: It appears that the Pharisees took the trouble to make sure that they tithed everything, including minor cooking materials as cited by Jesus.)

e. What then are they guilty of?
2. The 5th Woe (vv. 25-26):
a. The Pharisees emphasized ceremonial cleansing in order that they may enter into the temple. What might cups and dishes refer to (or represent) according to Jesus?

b. Why would the cleaning of the inside make the outside clean as well? What is Jesus talking about?

c. In what way were the Pharisees greedy (see Mk. 12:40)?

d. In what way were they self-indulgent?
3. The 6th Woe (vv. 27-28):
a. According to Lightfoot, the Jews white-washed their tombs, not for beauty, but to warn people not to come near, lest they became unclean. Given this background, do you understand why Jesus likened them to white-washed tombs?

b. In what way(s) might we be guilty of the same sin?
4. Of the above three woes, what might be the most serious sin?

5. What is the essential message of these warnings to you today and how may you apply it to your life?


Meditative Reflection
Before or After Tax?

One of the most common questions asked concerning tithing is whether the 10% should be based on income before or after tax.

I often wonder why this question is being asked.

If we understand that our offering of money to God is an expression of:
(1)  Our love for God and His people

(2)  Our thanksgiving for His abundant provision

(3)  Our recognition that He is the true source of our wealth

(4)  Our recognition that He in fact still owns us and everything we have

(5)  Our faith in that no matter how much we give as prompted by the Spirit, He will not put us to shame or allow us to be lacking
If we truly understand the above, such a question will never be asked. Rather, we will constantly be asking, “Lord, do I love you enough with my tithing? Because you have said, ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'.” (Matt. 6:21)

Day 6

Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions below.

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 23:29–36

The 7th Woe:

1.Jesus predicted the suffering and martyrdom of His followers which are detailed in the Book of Acts:
a. How will they be treated?

b. And in whose hands would they receive persecution?
2. Why did their forefathers shed the blood of the prophets?

3. Why did the Pharisees think they would be different?

4. Why did they turn out to be no different from their forefathers?

5. Why should they be responsible for “all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth from…Abel to Zechariah”?

6. Why would Jesus call them “brood of vipers”?

7. What will be their punishment?

8. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Meditative Reflection
We are different. Really?

As I have the privilege of walking alongside my Christian young men and women through conducting pre-marital counseling, I have come to understand that I am not alone in wanting to be different from my parents, especially my father.

It is perhaps typical of people who grew up in a traditional Oriental family. The value system, the cultural perspective and the less relational approach to life are things that we do not want to copy from them. And so, we think we are mavericks. We are different from our parents.

The truth of the matter is we are not too different from them. It is true that because we are living in an entirely different generation, we likely received a more liberal education. For us who are Christians, we have been born again in Christ and we have to be totally free from the bondage of our old culture, value system and approach (or philosophy) to life. But we often fail to understand that even though we are a new creation in Christ in status, our actual change in life is still a process. Renewal of the mind in Christ is still a process of progress (Rom. 12:2); in fact, it is a rather long process — a life-long process. And as we enter into this new life through the Holy Spirit, the process of renewal is still the work of the Holy Spirit. (Gal. 3:3)

This was the error of the Pharisees. They knew from the Bible that their forefathers were wrong in rejecting and persecuting the prophets, and they thought (or perhaps even swore) that they would be different. What they had overlooked was that they were no different. We are no different. By our own effort and determination, we will repeat the mistakes of our former generations. No education, no self-determination, and no spiritual discipline can make us different. Even as Christians, we need continual repentance and reliance on the Holy Spirit to enable us to gradually get rid of our old nature and live out the new.

Day 7

Read slowly and reflectively the assigned passage twice at least and consider the questions below.

Scriptural Reflection
Matthew 23:37–39

1. Why did Jesus mourn over “Jerusalem”? What does Jerusalem represent? Does it still today?

2. What was the mission of the prophets (see Ezek. 3:16-21)?

3. Many prophets were killed or stoned. Why then did God still send them, according to v. 37?

4. Has God’s heart changed today?
a. Toward Jerusalem?

b. Toward the world?

c. Toward your city?
5. What is God doing today to gather the people to Him?

6. What might be your role in this respect?

7. How similar would it be to that of the prophets’ of old?

8. How has the prophecy in v. 38 been fulfilled?

9. Will they (the people of Jerusalem, the Jews) eventually have a chance to see Christ?

10. What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?

Meditative Reflection
Mourning over Jerusalem

Last night, I listened to the powerful speech by Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, at AIPAC, in which he forcefully set forth Israel’s right to defend herself against the likely threat of nuclear weapons by Iran. In so doing, he cited Israel as the only truly democratic country in the region in which women are treated equally and where Christians can freely practice their religion.

As someone who respects and supports Israel as the People of God through whom we have received the precious heritage of the Old Testament, I am still acutely aware of the fact that they have yet to look on “the one they have pierced.” (Zech. 12:10)

As the author of RealChristianity.com writes, “Even though there was a part of me that had the utmost respect for these Jews, the other side was sad that they were still blind and waiting for the Messiah when he has already come in the person of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ.”

And worse ―

Another report says, “The plight of Palestinian Christians throughout the West Bank, Gaza and areas within Israel are among the most underreported stories of Christian persecution…” (www.persecution.org)

Personally, I am the recipient of updated reports of a Christian missionary couple, whose home in one of the cities in Israel has been attacked by Orthodox Jews.

While I believe we need to support Israel’s right to exist and love them as the People of God, let’s not forget to pray for their repentance to the One whom they pierced. For I do believe that our Lord Jesus continues to mourn over Jerusalem as He did 2,000 years ago.

© Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved Paul M.B. Chan