In my yearly Bible reading, I’ve often read the books of the New Testament out of order specifically to avoid reading the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—consecutively. The idea of reading the same stories three or four times in close succession seems uninteresting, and I fear my familiarity with the events shared repeatedly will cause me to overlook something important. (I address this common issue in one of my recent blog posts—Restore the Wonder.)
This year, however, I’m reading the New Testament in consecutive order and loving it! A different author writes each Gospel, so they write about the same events differently. Matthew focuses on details Mark doesn’t, Mark focuses on details Luke doesn’t, and so on. Rather than monotonous, I find it enlightening—fascinating, actually!
Try it. Read the account of Jesus’ accusation and condemnation in all four Gospels:
- Matthew 27:15–26
- Mark 15:6–15
- Luke 23:13–25
- John 18:29–19:18
This exercise gives us a clearer picture of the event.
In my reading last month, I was struck by Barabbus’ story—because his story is my story; it’s your story, too, if you’ve accepted the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Barabbas was guilty of a horrible crime and sentenced to death. In the same way, we have sinned against our holy God and deserve the punishment of death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). But as with Barabbas, Jesus—innocent, righteous, and not worthy of punishment—took our place. He died on that cross instead of Barabbas, even though Barabbas deserved it and Jesus didn’t. And he died on that cross, bearing our sin and shame, even though we deserved it and he didn’t. Barabbas was released, free to live without fear of punishment for his crimes. And because of Jesus, we, too, can live free from the punishment of our sins, by the grace of God, through faith.
Thank you, Jesus!
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This Week’s Worthy Words
WHAT DOES 1 PETER 3:15 MEAN? | JONATHAN K. DODSON
“Always be ready to give an answer…” It’s a well-known verse, often quoted to encourage Christians to know what we believe and why we believe it so that we can defend our faith. But doesn’t it sometimes overwhelm you? It overwhelms me—there is SO much to learn. In this article, Jonathan clarifies the meaning of the verse, and it’s a tremendous relief—it’s actually even more powerful, inspiring, and motivating than the conventional interpretation!
RECOVER YOUR JOY | TITANIA PAGE
Do you ever fake joy, willing yourself to dutifully push through difficult circumstances or the mundane activities of the day? Titania reminds us of the source of true joy and provides practical ways to recover your joy.
HOW DISCIPLESHIP IMPACTS OUR WITNESS | JENNIFER HAYES YATES
“My desire is to encourage women to commit to discipleship, not only for the sake of their own personal journeys, but because of the impact their spiritual growth will have on the generations coming behind them… So, how do we live our lives in such a way while we still struggle with sin ourselves?“
WHEN GOD APPEARS IN THE ORDINARY | JULIE MOREY
“[W]hat if my life looks drearily normal? I have living, monogamous parents who successfully kept me on the straight and narrow. No drugs, no crazy boyfriends, no extraordinary familial turmoil or major illness, no moment I doubted my salvation…How can I, a boringly happy nice Christian girl ever be an effective witness for the extraordinary Christian life? Should we expect the Christian life to be extraordinary?”
WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO READ THE WORD | KATIE LAITKEP
“It’s not that you don’t love God’s Word—it’s just that in the busyness of life it doesn’t seem to have the same hold on you it once did. The craving isn’t there. The desire has dried up. How do you become that woman who desires God’s Word deeply once again?”
