death – Judy in the Sky

Read Matthew 17:9-22 – Repetition is key. Jesus spoke about his death in Matthew 16:21, 17:9-12, and :22. He was preparing his disciples for what comes next.

After this, they came down the mountain to the crowd. A man asked Jesus to heal his demon possessed son, stating that his disciples tried unsuccessfully. Jesus rebukes the demon, and the boy is healed. He rebukes his disciples too, calling them unbelieving, perverse and stating that they have little faith.

Ouch, right? And if they had little faith, what does mine look like? Jesus says with faith just the size of a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for us. (:21)

Jesus’ death and resurrection is everything to Christianity. Jesus knew time was of the essence, perhaps that is why he comes down so firmly on the disciples in verses :14-20.

Beloved, Jesus forewarned his disciples about his death, and we have the privilege of hindsight to know things happened exactly as he said. Jesus is coming back, and has told us so. We look expectantly for the day. May your faith increase as your heart, soul, mind and strength stay focused on Jesus.

Read Deuteronomy 30 – Repentance and Forgiveness
God sees all of time at once. He is outside of time. When he sees a newborn baby, he also sees her going to prom, having her own babies, aging, walking with a cane, and dying. It is a big idea for us, and I want you to hold onto that as you think about our chapter.
God knows Israel will stray and he is already offering restoration. Verse one speaks of a future exile… isn’t that incredible? They are just entering the Promised Land and God leaves this word for the future generations who mess up. God says if they repent and obey, he will restore them. (:2)
Do you know this has already happened? God’s Word is incredible! It happened when they were brought back from Babylonian captivity – It’s recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament. And in our time it happened when Israel was restored as a nation in 1948! “The LORD your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then he will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!”
In 2019, I traveled to Israel. I saw this first hand. But there’s more to come. God says he will change their hearts so that they love him with all their heart and soul so they may live. (:6) Remember, God is outside of time. Beloved, we live in such an exciting time to see these things become reality. Keep watching!
God says his instructions are not too hard for them. He put them right in their hearts so they can obey. (:11-15) This is the choice between life and death, and the LORD longs for them to choose life. (:19) And this all goes back to the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the LORD God Almighty keeps his promises! (:20)