Daily Reading Passages

Click below for access to the passages. Biblegateway.com is an excellent site with many versions of the Bible. The link below opens in NIV.  Youversion.com is a new site that allows you to annotate your own Bible, make notes, and comments once you create an account. That link opens in the TNIV version. Other versions are available at both sites.

Coaching Comments

This morning's Old Testament reading, Numbers 15:17 - 16:40, begins the forty years of wandering in the desert.

Chapter 15 gives us a few more instructions for offerings and sacrifices. Note the distinction between one who sins unintentionally and one who "sins defiantly." That's a much bigger deal. The sacrificial system was in no way a "free pass" to go and sin, since you knew you could always offer as sacrifice.

Next we see an important "test case" for the Sabbath laws. The man who broke the law was put to death, and the seriousness of the boundaries God had put in place was established. Even still, the people needed constant reminders, so God decreed through Moses that they should wear tassels on their clothes as a physical reminder of their commitment to God. These would always be with them as a constant reminder.

After this there was another rebellion, let by three men, Korah, Dathan and Abiram. They felt that Moses and Aaron had too much authority, and wanted to have more influence themselves. It was just another in along line of struggles, where the people didn't like Moses' authority over them. The results of this rebellion were disastrous for the people.

The 15th chapter of Mark (Mark 15:1-47) is our New Testament reading for today, taking us through the final hours of Jesus' life. After the trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus was found guilty of blasphemy which was a capital offense. But since the Roman occupation, the Jewish authorities were not allowed to carry out death sentences. Only Roman's could do that. So the Sanhedrin sent Jesus to the Roman Governor, Pilate, in order to get His approval for Jesus' punishment.

During the trial before Pilate Jesus remained silent, and His accusers were not able to convince Pilate of his guilt. He thought he saw an way way out. He used a long-standing tradition where the governor released a Jewish prisoner as a good-relations act at the Passover. He picked a terrible well-known murderer named Barabbas and offered the people their choice. But the priests stirred up the people against Jesus, and Barabbas was released. Feeling he had no other options, Pilate sent Jesus to be crucified.

Mark records two supernatural signs that accompanied Jesus' death. First, a wide-spread unnatural darkness came over the city from noon, until three o'clock when Jesus finally died. Second, at that moment the enormous curtain that separated the Most Holy Place in the temple from the rest of the space was torn in two from top to bottom. Only the High Priest could go behind this curtain, and only once a year on the day of atonement in order to atone for the people's sins. With the curtain torn, the High Priest was no longer needed. It was a visible parable of what had happened in the death of Jesus, bringing all men into the presence of God.

The 54th Psalm, today's Psalms reading is a brief cry to God for help. (Psalms 54:1-7) God's name is more powerful than any who might attack us. His might is far beyond theirs. He sustains us. When others slander us or attack us, we have nothing to fear.

Today's Proverbs reading, Proverbs 11:5-6, reiterates the truth that God says: Righteousness makes our path smooth. Wickedness will bring obstacles into our lives.

2007 Cohort Comments