Matthew 27:1-10 When Morning Came
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: September 10, 2019 Matthew 27:1-10
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
(Understanding the Text) All the previous events–Peter denying Jesus and the priest’s questioning and Jesus saying that He would be coming on the clouds of glory–took place in the dark, but now it was light out. The official council session was held to condemn Jesus. Then Jesus was sent to Pilate. At this point, Judas realized that his plans had failed. If Judas thought that he would force Jesus to perform a miracle to intervene and so bring the leaders around to His side, Judas was wrong. Judas now looked at himself in a different light. He no longer saw the smart player who could work both sides for his advantage. Instead, he saw a conniving traitor who had sold an innocent man into the hands of Rome. Judas came under the full accusations of Satan. Judas had pushed out the Holy Spirit, so he could not hear any words of encouragement from God. He felt no hope to counteract the accusations from the devil that weighed him down. Satan had no more use for Judas alive, but a dead Judas could be used to bring more discouragement to Jesus’ followers, so he kept the accusations flooding Judas’ mind.
(Revelation of God) Judas had seen the way that the leaders had treated Jesus, yet he went back to them to receive exoneration. He should have known after watching them that there was no remorse in them, but he somehow wanted something from them so that he would not feel so bad about himself. When people refuse to go to God, they end up going to unworthy people to try to get the reassurance that only God can give. Too often, we try to find comfort from self-serving humans, but it is God alone who can heal us and cleanse us and change our guilt into innocence.
(Understanding the Text) Matthew is again showing that Jesus was the Messiah because He fulfilled the scriptures. In this case, it was the buying of a potter’s field. The leaders didn’t see anything wrong with paying blood money, but they saw something wrong with putting blood money into the treasury. They tried to launder the money by using it for a charitable cause, and felt satisfied with themselves for their day’s work.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that there is only one place to go when I have messed up and sinned. There is also only one place to go when other people have messed up and hurt me. That place is to Jesus. Anywhere and anyone else is emptiness and misery. Please help me.