The
GREATEST
MOMENTS
IN THE LIFE OF
Christ


by
MAX LUCADO

(Continued)

JESUS FORGIVES THE
WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They forced her to stand before the people. They said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught having sexual relations with a man who is not her husband. The law of Moses commands that we stone to death every woman who does this. What do you say we should do?" They were asking this to trick Jesus so that they could have some charge against him.

But Jesus bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger. When they continued to ask Jesus their question, he raised up and said, "Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her." Then Jesus bent over again and wrote on the ground.

Those who heard Jesus began to leave one by one, first the older men and then the others. Jesus was left there alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus raised up again and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one judged you guilty?"

She answered, "No one, sir."

Then Jesus said, "I also don't judge you guilty. You may go now, but don't sin anymore."

John 8:3-11

"The law of Moses commands that we stone to death every woman who does this. What do you say we should do?" (v.5).

What does Jesus do? He stoops down and draws in the dirt. And as he writes, he speaks: "Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her."

The young look to the old. The old look in their hearts. They are the first to drop their stones. And as they turn to leave, the young who were cocky with borrowed convictions do the same.

With the jury gone, the courtroom becomes the judge's chambers, and the woman awaits his verdict. "Woman, where are they? Has no one judged you guilty?" She answers, "NO one, sir." Then Jesus says, "I also don't judge you guilty. You may go now, but don't sin anymore."

If you have ever wondered how God reacts when you fail, frame these words and hang them on the wall.

Remember the message he left. Not in the sand, but on the cross. Not with his hand, but with his blood. His message has two words: Not guilty.

JESUS HEALS A CANAANITE
WOMAN'S DAUGHTER

Jesus left that place and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that area came to Jesus and cried out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter has a demon, and she is suffering very much."

But Jesus did not answer the woman. So his followers came to Jesus and begged him, "Tell the woman to go away. She is following us and shouting."

Jesus answered, "God sent me only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel."

Then the woman came to Jesus again and bowed before him and said, "Lord, help me!"

Jesus answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs."

The woman said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! I will do what you asked." And at that moment the woman's daughter was healed

Matthew 15:21-28

The disciples are annoyed. "Send her away," they demand. And what follows is one of the most intriguing dialogues in the New Testament.

"I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel," he says. "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs," he answers.

"But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table," she responds.

Could Jesus be so delighted to have found one who is not bartered with a religious system or proud of a heritage that he can't resist a bit of satire?

In essence, here's what they said: "Now, you know that God only cares about Jews," he says smiling. And when she catches on, she volleys back, "But your bread is so precious, I'll be happy to eat the crumbs." In a spirit of exuberance, he bursts out, "Never have I seen such faith! Your daughter is healed."

This story portrays a willing One who delights in a sincere seeker. Aren't you glad he does?

JESUS TEACHES FORGIVENESS

Then Jesus said, "A man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, 'Give me my share of the property.' So the father divided the property between his two sons. Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living. After he had spent everything, a time came when there was no food anywhere in the country, and the son was poor and hungry. So he got a job with one of the citizens there who sent the son into the fields to feed pigs. The son was so hungry that he wanted to eat the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he realized what he was doing, he thought, 'all of my father's servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dying with hunger. I will leave and return to my father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son, but let me be like one of your servants.' " So the son left and went to his father.

"While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him and hugged and kissed him. The son said, 'Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

But the father said to the servants, 'Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get our fat calf and kill it so we can have a feast and celebrate. My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he was found.' So they began to celebrate.

"The older son was in the field, and as he came closer to the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. So he called to one of the servants and asked what all this meant. The servant said, 'Your brother has come back, and your father killed the fat calf, because your brother came home safely.' The older son was angry and would not go in to the feast. So his father went out and begged him to come in. But the older son said to his father, "I have served you like a slave for many years and have always obeyed your commands. But you never gave me even a young goat to have at a feast with my friends. But your other son, who wasted all your money on prostitutes, comes home, and you kill the fat calf for him!' The father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. We had to celebrate and be happy because your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.' "

Luke 15:11-32

The road home was longer than he remembered. When he last traveled it, he turn heads because of his style. If he turned heads this time it was because of his stink. But that didn't bother him, because for the first time in a calendar of heartaches, he had a clean conscience.

He was going home. "Give me" had been replaced with "help me," and his defiance had been replaced with repentance.

And he had no idea how much his father had missed him.

As the boy came around the bend that led up to his house, he rehearsed his speech one more time. "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you."

He approached the gate and placed his hand on the latch.

Then he heard the footsteps. Someone was running. It's probably a servant coming to chase me away or my big brother wanting to know what I'm doing back home. He began to leave.

But the voice he heard was not the voice of a servant nor the voice of his brother; it was the voice of his father. "Son!" "Father!" Tears glistened on his cheeks as arms stretched from east to west inviting the son to come home.

"Father, I have sinned." The words were muffled as the boy buried his face in his father's shoulder. The two wept. Repentance had been made, forgiveness had been given. The boy was home.

JESUS HEALS TEN LEPERS

While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he was going through the area between Samaria and Galilee. As he came into a small town, ten men who had a skin disease met him there. They did not come close to Jesus but called to him, "Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!"

When Jesus saw the men, he said, "Go and show yourselves to the priests."

As the men were going, they were healed. When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice. Then he bowed down at Jesus' feet and thanked him. (And this man was a Samaritan.) Jesus said, "Weren't ten men healed? Where are the other nine? Is this Samaritan the only one who came back to thank God?" Then Jesus said to him, "Stand up and go on your way. You were healed because you believed."

Luke 17:11-19

Those who know Christ most are the most grateful. I recently read a story of a woman who for years was married to a harsh husband. Each day he would leave her a list of chores to complete before he returned at the end of the day.

If she didn't complete the tasks, she would be greeted with his explosive anger. But even if she did complete the list, he was never satisfied.

After several years, the husband passed away. Some time later she remarried, this time to a man who lavished her with tenderness and adoration.

One day, while going through a box of old papers, the wife discovered one of her first husband's lists. And as she read the sheet, a realization caused a tear of joy to splash on the paper.

"I'm still doing all these things, and no one has to tell me. I do it because I love him.

That is the unique characteristic of the new kingdom. It's subjects don't work in order to go to heaven: they work because they are going to heaven. Arrogance and fear are replaced with gratitude and joy.


JESUS ANSWERS A RICH MAN

As Jesus started to leave, a man ran to him and fell to his knees before Jesus. The man asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to have life forever?"

Jesus answered, "Why do you call me good? Only God is good. You know the commands: 'You must not murder anyone. You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not steal. You must not tell lies about your neighbor. You must not cheat. Honor you father and mother.' "

The man said, "Teacher, I have obeyed all these things since I was a boy."

Jesus, looking at the man, loved him and said, "There is one more thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me."

Mark 10:17-21

All your life you've been rewarded according to your performance.

That's why the rich young ruler thought heaven was just a payment away. You work hard, you pay your dues, and 'zap' - your account is credited as paid in full. Jesus said, "No way." What you want costs far more than what you can pay. You don't need a system, you need a Savior.

Mark it down. God does not save us because of what we've done. Only a puny god could be bought with tithes. Only an egotistical god would be impressed with our pain. Only a temperamental god could be satisfied by sacrifices. Only a heartless god would sell salvation to the highest bidders.

And only a great God does for his children what they can't do for themselves.

JESUS HEALS A BLIND MAN

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind. His followers asked him, "Teacher, whose sin caused this man to be born blind - his own sin or his parents' sin?"

Jesus answered, "It is not this sin or his parents' sin that made him be blind. This man was born blind so that God's power could be shown in him. . . ."

After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground and made some mud with it and put the mud on the man's eyes. Then he told the man, "Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam." (Siloam means Sent.) So the man went, washed, and came back seeing.

John 9:1-7

John tells of a time the disciples applied a label. Jesus and his followers came upon a man who had been blind from birth. Here is the question the disciples asked Jesus - "Teacher, whose sin caused this man to be born blind - his own sin or his parents' sin?" (John 9:2).

Never mind that the man is a beggar in need of help. Never mind that the man seated in front of them is in earshot of their voices. How could they be so harsh?

The answer? (You may not like it.) It's easier to talk about a person than to help a person. It's easier to debate homosexuality than to be a friend to a gay person. It's easier to discuss divorce than to help the divorced. It's easier to argue abortion than to support an orphanage. It's easier to label than to love.

What if God did that with us?

Jesus had another view of the man born blind. Why was he blind? "So God's power could be shown in him."

JESUS RAISES LAZARUS
FROM THE DEAD

Jesus said, "Move the stone away."

Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, "But, Lord, it has been four days since he died. There will be a bad smell."

Then Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"

So they moved the stone away from the entrance. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I said these things because of the people here around me. I want them to believe that you sent me." After Jesus said this, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with pieces of cloth, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, "Take the cloth off of him and let him go."

A large crowd of Jews heard that Jesus was in Bethany. So they went there to see not only Jesus but Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. So the leading priests made plans to kill Lazarus, too. Because of Lazarus many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.

John 11:39-44; 12:9-11

Wow! Because of Lazarus many Jews were "believing in Jesus." He has a testimony to give - and what a testimony he has!

"I was always a good fellow," he would say. "I paid my bills. I loved my sisters. I even enjoyed being around Jesus. But I wasn't one of the followers. Nothing personal. I just didn't want to get carried away.

"But then I got sick. And then I died. I mean, I died dead. Nothing left. Stone-cold. No life. No breath. And then Jesus called me from the grave. When he spoke, my heart beat and my soul stirred, and I was alive again. And I want you to know he can do the same for you."

If God has called you to be a Lazarus, then testify. Remind the rest of us that we, too, have a story to tell. We. too, have died and been resurrected.

MARY WASHES JESUS' FEET
WITH HER HAIR

Six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. (Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead.) There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food, and Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus. Mary brought in a pint of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She poured the perfume on Jesus' feet, and then she wiped his feet with her hair. And the sweet smell from the perfume filled the whole house.

John 12:1-3

Is Mary in the kitchen? No, she is playing her flute for Jesus. She is worshiping, for that is what she loves to do. But this time Martha doesn't object. She has learned that there is a place for praise and worship, and that is what Mary is doing. And what is Mary's part in the dinner? She brings a pint of very expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus' feet, then wipes his feet with her hair. The smell of the perfume fills the house.

Marys are gifted with praise. They don't just sing; they worship. They don't just talk about Christ; they radiate Christ.

We need them because we tend to forget how much God loves worship. Marys don't forget. They know that God wants to be known as a Father. They know that a father likes nothing more than to have his children sit at his feet and spend time with him. Marys are good at that.



THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

As Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem, they stopped at Bethphage at the hill called the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his followers and said to them, "Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will quickly find a donkey tied there with its colt. Intie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once."

Matthew 21:1-3

When we all get home I know what I want to do. There's someone I want to get to know. I want to meet the guy with the donkey.

I don't know his name or what he looks like. I only know one thing: what he gave. He gave a donkey to Jesus on the Sunday he entered Jerusalem.

"Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will quickly find a donkey tied there with its colt. Intie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once."

When we all get to heaven I want to visit this fellow. I have several questions for him.

How did you know it was Jesus who needed a donkey?

Was it difficult to give something to Jesus for him to use? I want to ask that question because sometimes it's hard for me. Sometimes I like to keep my animals to myself. Sometimes when God wants something I act like I don't know he needs it.

How did it feel to look out and see Jesus on the back of the donkey that lived in your barn? Were you proud? Were you annoyed?

Did it ever occur to you that God was going to ride your donkey? Were you aware that all four Gospel writers would tell your story?

And as I ponder yours, I ponder mine. Sometimes I get the impression that God wants me to give him something and sometimes I don't give it because I don't know for sure, and then I feel bad because I've missed my chance. And other times, too few times, I hear him and I obey him and feel honored that a gift of mine would be used to carry Jesus into another place.

You and I each have something in our lives, which, if given back to God, could, like the donkey, move Jesus and his story further down the road.

It could be that God wants to mount your donkey and enter the walls of another city, another nation, another heart. Do you let him?

That guy who gave Jesus the donkey is just one in a long line of folks who gave little things to a big God. Scripture has quite a gallery of donkey-givers. In fact, heaven may have a shrine to honor God's uncommon use of the common.

THE LESSON OF THE FIG TREE

Early the next morning, as Jesus was going to the city, he became hungry. Seeing a fig tree beside the road, Jesus went to it, but there were no figs on the tree, only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, "You will never again have fruit." The tree immediately dried up.

When his followers saw this, they were amazed. They asked, "How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree and even more. You will be able to say to this mountain, 'Go, fall into the sea,' And if you have faith, it will happen. If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer."

Matthew 21:18-22

Jesus, hungry and on his way to Jerusalem, stops to see if a fig tree has figs. It doesn't. He does to the tree on Monday morning what he will do to the temple on Monday afternoon. He curses it.

He is angered by a religion that puts on a show but ignores the service - and that is precisely the religion he was facing during his last week. And the church he had to face his entire ministry.

The message of the fig tree is not for all of us to have the same fruit. The message is for us to have some fruit.

The faith is not in religion, the faith is in God. A hardy, daring faith which believes God will do what is right, every time.

He is the shepherd in search of his lamb. His legs are scratched, his feet are sore and his eyes are burning. He scales the clifts and traverses the fields. He explores the caves. He cups his hands to his mouth and calls into the canyon.

And the name he calls is yours.



JESUS CLEARS THE TEMPLE

Jesus went to the Temple and threw out all the people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves. He said to all the people there, "It is written in the Scriptures, 'My Temple will be called a house of prayer.' But you are changing it into a 'hideout for robbers.' "

Matthew 21:12,13

It's a sad but true fact of the faith: religion is used for profit and prestige. When it is there are two results: people are exploited and God is infuriated.

There's no better example of this than what happened at the temple. After he had entered the city on the back of a donkey, Jesus "went to the Temple. After he had looked at everything since it was already late, he went to Bethany with the twelve apostles" (Mark 11:11).

The next morning when he returned, "Jesus went into the Temple and threw out all the people who were buying and selling there."

It's not difficult to see what angered Jesus. Pilgrims journeyed days to see God. But before they were taken into the presence of God, they were taken to the cleaners.

Want to anger God? Get in the way of people who want to see him.

God will never hold guiltless those who exploit the privilege of worship.

JESU WASHES HIS
DISCIPLES' FEET

Jesus knew that the Father had given him power over everything and that he had come from God and was going back to God. So during the meal Jesus stood up and took off his outer clothing. Taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13:3-5

I don't understand how God can be so kind to us, but he is. He kneels before us, takes our feet in his hands, and washes them. Please understand that in washing the disciples' feet, Jesus is washing ours. That's us being cleansed, not from our dirt, but from our sins.

Listen to what Jesus said: "If I don't wash your feet, you are not one of my people" (John 13:8). Why not? Because we cannot. We cannot remove our own sin.

To place our feet in the basin of Jesus is to place the filthiest parts of our lives into his hands. In the ancient East, people's feet were caked with mud and dirt. The servant of the feast saw to it that the feet were cleaned. Jesus is assuming the role of the servant. He will wash the grimiest part of your life.

If you let him. The water of the Servant comes only when we confess that we are dirty. And we will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we have hurt, to wash ours.

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I Exalt Thee
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