Daily Devotional For Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Good morning and I hope everyone is safe and warm with this winter polar vortex. It is cold and that is why a good dose of God’s Word will warm our hearts. I do not know if you realize this, when you see a Bible reference only, that is a direct link to that passage. All you have to do is click on the referencde and you will be taken to the verse itself. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we pick up where we left off yesterday in Matthew 17:22-23:
“And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; (23) and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.’ And they were deeply grieved.
Talk about a downer! These two statements by Jesus to His disciples brought grief to them. The word translated as “grief” is the Greek New Testament word [λυπέω; lupeo]. It can be translated as “sorrow, distress, grief, and uneasiness.” This is the second time Jesus has told His disciples this. The first time is in Matthew 16:21. The difference between these two accounts is that in the second one, Jesus adds two additional pieces of information: first, someone will betray Him, and second He would be delivered over to His enemies. “Deeply grieved” is a verb that implies they continued to be exceedingly grieved about this news.”
All they hear is death, not resurrection. Are we any different? The doctor comes in with a sorrowful and distressing medical result and that is all we hear. We forget God’s promises to us in verses such as Romans 8:35-39. We forget God’s promises to us in Philippians 1:20. We hear bad and do not see the good in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and John 14:1-3. It is amazing how we react to inexplicable bad news. Our first reaction is to disbelieve it – thinking if we deny it, it will not be true. Sometimes we may even lash out at the messenger and if this does not work, we go get a second opinion.
Jesus knew where He was headed and He had no misguided delusions that He would or would avoid it. At no time did he deny it or disbelieve this was God the Father’s plan for His life. Jesus embraced it and accepted it. The word translated as “delivered” is the Greek New Testament word [παραδίδωμι’ [paradidomi]. It means “to be handed over through betrayal.” It makes you wonder if the disciples put some thought into this, they might have asked either Jesus or each other, “Betrayed by who?” The worst betrayals come from “friends.” All they heard was “death,” not “betrayal.” Jesus will repeat this again to His disciples in Matthew 20:18-19.
The New Testament writers continue to use the word “delievered” to express Jesus’ betrayal (see Acts 3:13; Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 11:23; and Rom. 8:32). Jesus' honest awareness of His future was also reaffirming what He had said to His disciples about their own future (see Matt. 10:17-22; Matt. 24:9-10). In the New Testament, the phrase “into the hands” is a reference to the chief priests and scribes (see Matt. 20:18) and elders (see Matt. 16:21). The verb translated as “kill” in verse 23 is the Greek New Testament word [ἀποκτείνω; apokteino]. It means “to kill in the best and most efficient way to bring suffering, shame and disgrace.” This same word is used by Jesus about the death of His own disciples in the future (see Matt. 10:28; Matt. 23:34; and Matt. 24:9).
Matthew lets us know that this healing by Jesus in Matthew 17:14-21 is not an inauguration of Jesus’ kingdom on this earth. Jesus has no plans to settle down in Galilee and set up an earthly kingdom. From this point on, Jesus’ eyes are on the cross, on Calvary and on what is expected to anyone who wishes to be His disciple. And Jesus’ words remind the disciples, and readers, that they must be prepared to follow in Jesus’ footsteps in faithfulness to His calling (see Matt. 16:24-26). Jesus compares Himself as the “Son of Man” with “hands of men.” A contrast that shows how Jesus consistently was about doing God the Father’s will and we, even with the best intentions, often seek our own will to the hurt of others.
Assignment: Reflect on your own reactions to bad news. When it comes to you, do you go immediately to God’s Word and to God in prayer, or do you have a “meltdown” first? If God is not your first choice with bad news, why? Sometimes God’s plan for our life involves suffering and an early or premature death (by our culture’s standards). What if God told you that your death is coming by the end of 2025, is there anything different you would do spiritually? Why or why not?
Scripture To Meditate On: Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Father, it really is not about how long I live, but about how I live. Your death at 33 brought the offer of the gift of eternal life for all in Your day and every day since. I want to trust Proverbs 16:9 no matter what. My prayer is this, “Not my will, but Your will be done in my life however You wish it to be.” I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly