Devotional Thoughts for Today
“A Shattered Reputation”
Mark 15:1-15
Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
After having worked for a financial corporation in New York City for several years, I have learned that a common theme running through today’s corporate culture is branding. Whether it’s the status of our company or our personal reputation, managing our standing is given high priority. Thus, we meticulously display our best selves on our resumes and social media, and minimize our weaknesses by terming them “areas of improvement.” And if any false accusations are leveled against us—whether through gossip or hearsay—we act quickly to dispel those rumors to maintain our reputation.
In contrast, today’s reading displays Jesus, the only perfect man to have walked this earth, staying silent (v.5) despite being falsely accused (v. 3). Even an outsider like Pilate was able to discern that the ill treatment towards Jesus was based on envy as opposed to justice (v. 10). And when Pilate asked the crowd what wrong Jesus had committed (v.14), there was no response to his question, only further cries to “crucify him” (v.15). Why did Jesus accept such vile treatment?
One possibility is that Jesus knew His mission from the Father and only lived to do His will (John 4:34). Luke notes that “when the days drew near for him [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Like a solider, Jesus did not entangle Himself in civilian pursuits but only aimed to please God (2 Tim. 2:4). Knowing that fulfilling His Father’s mission involved being despised by others (Isa. 53:3), Jesus endured the abuse and completed His task. The irony of it all is that He will eventually be praised by all men (Phil. 2:9-11).
As believers today, are we getting involved in the wrong battles? Are we diverting precious time and effort from kingdom work by curating our reputations? When we hear something about ourselves that we may not like, perhaps deeper understanding and reconciliation can be achieved by trying to understand, instead of instantly defending ourselves. And even if such words about us are wholly false, let us take comfort that He who knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21) was not immune to such attacks. Let us ask Him for His strength today.
Prayer: Lord, I confess that I care too much about what others think or say about me. I confess that I spend time putting out these fires, instead of resting in the righteousness that You have given me. Give me the wisdom to discern when to speak and when to be silent. And thank You that in Your eyes, I am fully righteous because of the work of Christ. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: 2 Timothy 2
Lunch Break Study
Read Isaiah 50:5-9: “The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! 9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.”
Questions to Consider
- How does Jesus resemble the Suffering Servant in this passage?
- Why does the Suffering Servant have such boldness and confidence in verses 8-9?
- Do you have such trust and confidence in God?
Note
- Jesus did not turn away from His accusers (v.5-6). He took comfort that God the Father would keep Him from disgrace and set His face like a flint to carry out God’s will (v.7).
- He has tremendous trust in the Lord, who vindicates Him (v.8) and helps Him (v.9). As Christians, we, too, can have the same confidence that it is the work of Christ, not our own actions that justify us.
- Personal response.
Evening Reflection
Unlike Jesus, we are not perfect people. Even the harshest of criticism or slander may have a sliver of truth. If you have been the recipient of some choice words, ask God for His help to discern what may actually be helpful.
The AMI QT Devotionals from April 30-May 6 are provided by Jabez Yeo. Jabez, an alumnus of University of Pennsylvania, just graduated from Columbia International University with a M.A. in Muslim Studies. He is currently working in NYC and serving at Remnant Church-E. He hopes to become a missionary.
One of the strongest ethos of Western society is the self-made person. We are trained to think that if we just work hard, educate ourselves and persevere, we will overcome any obstacles and achieve success. I, of course, am no exception. Yet, many of us live unaware of how our decisions are undoubtedly influenced by others. The explicit or subliminal messages you received from those who have gone before you in your family, church, school or workplace affect the “big-picture” decisions in your relationships, ministries, education and career. Even the most trivial of choices, such as where to eat or what movie to watch, can be made through consulting reviewers on Yelp or Rotten Tomatoes. As human beings, we innately trust someone who has been where we want to go.
Today’s AMI QT Devotionals is provided by Jon Moon, who serves as Children’s Ministry Director at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco.
I remember the first time when someone came up to me and asked me to pray over him, not giving me anything specific to pray for. I recall getting nervous, thinking about what I would pray for and how I would pray for this person: How can I make my prayer sound good? What can I say to make it sound like I’m praying a good prayer over this person? You see, somehow I grew to think that ministering over someone through prayer—not just praying for someone’s prayer requests—and letting the Spirit speak was something that only seasoned pastors, really mature Christians, or those who could speak in tongues could do. I believed that I wasn’t good enough to pray over people—especially those who were older or more spiritually mature than I was.
As I was reading a blog that I wrote in 1998, I don’t really remember what led to writing this at that time: “The other day my wife confessed that raising three kids has changed her personality for the worst. Why? Well, when you have to yell as often as my wife and I do to prevent my young ones from hurting themselves, not to mention breaking up ‘fights’ between them, you would become a Dr. Jekyll and Hyde too.”
As all parents already know, raising children is very hard work. That could be one reason some folks opt to not have any kids. One aspect to raising children—that is a real stinker (for me, at least)—is the constant feeling of guilt. An undeniable truth is that children do many things wrong. Just the other day, I told Joshua that if he does to another person what he did to his sister when he is grown up, he might end up in jail. (Now, some 20 years later I have no clue as to what Joshua did; therefore, I am thinking, If it was that serious of an offense, how come I don’t remember any of it? Maybe I over reacted.) Only a few days earlier his sister got an earful from me for saying mean things to Joshua. (Again, I don’t remember what she said.) In both cases, they got disciplined pretty severely! But afterwards, I wasn’t sure whether I went about it the right way in terms of the severity of the discipline. Then I heard Ephesians 6:4a echoing in my ear: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children.” I couldn’t help but wonder whether I did that.
The AMI QT Devotionals for April 26-27 are provided by Jon Moon, who serves as Children’s Ministry Director at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco. Jon, currently a student at Fuller Theological Seminary, is married to Stephanie, and they have one son (Elijah) and another one on the way.
This past March, I had the privilege of, once again, accompanying Dr. Ryun to Cuba to teach at Seminario de La Gracia. During this trip, as I witnessed how the seminary students lived out their lives and how fervently they studied God’s Word, I was reminded once again of the importance of reading and studying the Word of God. In a country where people survive on one or two meals a day, since resources are scarce, and hopes for a better life are almost nonexistent, I was amazed at the joy and hope that these 78 seminarians expressed through their singing, prayers, and study of the Word.
The AMI QT Devotionals for April 23-25 are provided by Myra Huang. Myra, a graduate of Juilliard School (BA) and The Manhattan School of Music (M.A.), lives in NYC with her husband Ed Huang and two lovely daughters: Elie (9) and Abby (7). She has been a member of The Remnant Church since its inception in 1995. Myra travels the world performing concerts with opera singers.
In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that my last album with my colleague Nick was nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Classical Vocal Solo” category (2017).
Last November, I found out that my last album with my colleague Nick was nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Classical Vocal Solo” category. I am a classical pianist, and I concertize and record albums with opera singers.
There are so many things we all fear: fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of loneliness, fear of uselessness, fear of not being smart. In my mind, so many of our fears point to one underlying predominant fear: the fear of not being loved.
I remember going bouldering for the first time with a group of friends. It was fun learning the basics and trying to figure out how to climb the different parts of the wall. As we were resting, my friends shared funny stories of experienced climbers who loved to show off their skills by climbing the part of the wall that others failed to do. It would be in such a way to make sure everyone saw that they could do something no one else could. For them, it was not enough to be good at something; they had to make sure others recognized their abilities. It was not enough to climb the wall, but they had to look good doing it for others.