Thursday, March 24 He is not here, for he was raised up.—Matt. 28:6. Jesus was alive! Events of the next 40 days left no doubt that Jesus had been resurrected. Summarizing the evidence, the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “Among the first things I handed on to you was what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he [...]
Wednesday, March 23 You have an anointing from the holy one.—1 John 2:20. Only those who have the witness of the spirit that they are God’s children should partake of the Memorial emblems. Those who have received “a spirit of adoption as sons” are God’s spirit-begotten children. His spirit bears witness with their spirit, giving them the realization that they are Jehovah’s anointed sons. Today, there is only a [...]
Monday, March 21 This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood.—1 Cor. 11:25. Those who rightly partake of the Memorial emblems are absolutely sure that they are parties to the new covenant. God has made the new covenant with the spiritual Israelites. This covenant has been validated by Christ’s sacrifice and has been made operative by his shed blood. Jesus is the Mediator of the [...]
Sunday, March 20 The Son of man came . . . to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.—Matt. 20:28. How would this ransom satisfy justice? As a perfect man, Jesus had prospects similar to those of Adam before he sinned. Jehovah’s purpose was to fill the earth with Adam’s perfect offspring. Hence, with deep love for his Father and for Adam’s descendants, Jesus gave up [...]
Saturday, March 19 Learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart.—Matt. 11:29. During his earthly ministry, Jesus spoke and acted in ways that revealed genuine humility. He never called undue attention to himself. Instead, he directed all glory to his Father. He never talked down to his disciples or made them feel inferior. Rather, he dignified them, praising them for the good he saw [...]
Friday, March 18 See, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!—John 1:29. Jesus explained that he came, “not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.” The “many” who would benefit from Jesus’ ransom were not to be limited to repentant Jews. Rather, it is God’s will that “all sorts of [...]
Wednesday, March 16 I will come against those living in security.—Ezek. 38:11. Soon, our lives will seem to be in peril. By the climax of the great tribulation, the governments of this world will have devastated and completely destroyed religious organizations that were larger and more numerous than ours. Jehovah prophetically describes our vulnerable condition as “the land of unprotected settlements . . . , unprotected by walls, bars, or [...]
Tuesday, March 15 It is just like a man about to travel abroad who summoned his slaves and entrusted his belongings to them.—Matt. 25:14. The man, or the master, in this illustration is Jesus. He traveled abroad when he ascended to heaven in 33 C.E. In an earlier parable, Jesus reveals his purpose of traveling abroad, namely, “to secure kingly power for himself.” Jesus did not immediately secure full [...]
Saturday, March 12 When [the mustard grain] has grown, it is the largest of the vegetable plants and becomes a tree.—Matt. 13:32. In Jesus’ illustration, the grain represents the Kingdom message as well as what results from the preaching of that message—the Christian congregation. Like the mustard grain that is “the tiniest of all the seeds,” the Christian congregation had small beginnings in 33 C.E. However, [...]
Friday, March 11 [Christ] was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.—1 Pet. 3:18. The apostles knew that Jesus’ resurrection was different from the resurrections that preceded it. People who were brought back to life earlier came back with physical bodies and eventually died again. Jesus was resurrected with a spirit body that was imperishable. Peter wrote that Jesus “is at [...]
Daily commentary on examining the Scriptures.