Exodus 16-18/Matt 27:1-26
Tomorrow’s Reading: Exodus 19-20/Matt 27:27-50
Exodus - Israelites continue to complain about food/water and God provides. Just think for a moment the massive amounts of food/water it would take to feed over a million people every day, for 40 years.
Matthew - Jesus is now held captive and faces Pilate, a Roman Governor. You get a feel of a blood-thirsty crown that must have been stirred by the Pharisees. Their burning anger came from somewhere.. but Jesus has been nothing but kind to all; healing their sick loved ones, etc..
Today... let's think about the provisions/gift we each have received from God and what a blessing they are. Gifts aren't random, I don't think - but thru our faith in Him. Right now in our reading, we really get an appreciation for the sacrifices that were made for our sins - we should honor/respect that sacrifice/suffering thru our actions today. Ok.. what does that mean? Dunno.. will mean something different to each; a choice, a decision, an intervention,.. hmm
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Exodus
Setting: Left off just after crossing the Red Sea, Moses cast wood into sea to make sweat drinking water at Marah (name means bitter), and now at Elim. Hint: scroll down on main page and view map while reading.
Exactly 1month had passed since Israelites had left Egypt – now at #6 on map, Desert of Sin… they were complaining about what they had to eat (not sure what they had up until this point – wishing they were back in Egypt (2nd time they’ve wished that). God provides Manna (wafer bread; see v31 – Jesus is “the bread of life” John 6:35, 48). How do you think Moses felt when God said to him in v28, “how long with YOU refuse to keep my commands”? Their daily provision of manna was an omer, 1/10th of and ephah/bushel.
Where did Joshua come from? Joshua (= Lord saves) was name given to Hoshea (=Salvation) , son of Nun. Apparently known for being a warrior – fighting the Amalekites. I always thought of the Exodus as this great journey in a vast land that had no end. When Jethro shows up to give Moses advice on establishing a ‘reporting structure’, he came from his home town in Midian… not too far away.
Matthew
Setting: Jesus has been betrayed, captured, mocked, and beaten in the courts of the Sanhedrin (see March 29th: The Sanhedrin is said to have consisted of seventy-one members, the high priest being president.) and Peter has just denied Jesus three times.
Jesus turned over to Pilate (Roman governor from 26AD to 36AD). Interesting; notes say Pilate’s official residence was Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast and when he came to Jerusalem, he stayed in lavish palace built by Harod. So… what was his relationship to the Sanhedrin and why did they need him? Perhaps because the Sanhedrin were unable to carry out capital punishment dictated by the Romans, less of foreigners who invaded sacred precincts of the temple.
Judas starts to feel the pains of guilt and tries to make it right by returning the ‘blood money’, but it was too late. Upon failure, Judas hangs himself. Pilate’s wife apparently had a dream about the Jesus and his innocence, Pilate places decision of choice between releasing Barabbas or Jesus, and crowd chooses Barabbas. In v25, ‘let his blood be on us and our children’. Wow.
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