This Bible reading plan takes you through most of the Holy Scriptures each weekday of the year. Each day has three Bible readings:
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13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet,1 but is completely clean. And you2 are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant3 is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled,4 ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side,5 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus6 of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
[1] 13:10
[2] 13:10
[3] 13:16
[4] 13:18
[5] 13:23
[6] 13:24
(ESV)
I am a man who loves spicy foods. In college, one of my favorite restaurants was a chicken wing joint named "Pluckers." Although they had over a dozen varieties of different wings, I've ordered only one: "Fire in the Hole." The name says it all. And really, the name's an understatement. At first, it's actually painful to eat these wings. But eventually, your tongue and lips go numb and it becomes easier to scarf them down. And scarf them down I did. 25 of them in a single sitting, once upon a time. None of my buddies even came close to my incredible ability to ingest enormous quantities of really hot wings. But the next day, I paid for it. My innards were inflamed with incessant heat that felt like it was steadily burning a hole through my stomach lining. And as I sat there, doubled over in pain on my dorm room sofa, I thought to myself, "Gee, Zach. Was that really worth it? Was a night of hot wing indulgence really worth this excruciating gastrointestinal pain?" My answer was, "No."
As I've gotten older, my stomach has gotten weaker. I can't even eat so much as a jalapeno without getting heartburn that makes my skin crawl and face wince. Thus, even though I still love the taste of spicy foods, they don't like me. And so I just stay away from them. After all, I learned my lesson in college. It just isn't worth it.
In our reading for today from John 13, the drama of the gospel increases several-fold as Jesus gets closer to the cross. Indeed, this chapter reaches a fever pitch when Jesus speaks these shocking words to his disciples: "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me" (verse 21). In Jesus' darkest hour, a betrayer lurks in their midst. Not surprisingly, the disciples, gasping with hushed voices of disbelief, ask, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus' answer is unambiguous and all-together devastating: "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped in the dish" (verses 25-26). Jesus then dips the bread and hands it to... Judas.
What a scene it must have been. What a dramatic and terrifying moment it must have been for the disciples to watch Jesus pick up a piece of bread, dip it into a dish of fruit sauce, and reach out his hand to one of them. They all had to be wondering, "It isn't me, is it? Jesus wouldn't dare hand that piece of bread to me, would he?"
I find it especially fascinating that Jesus uses a piece of bread to mark his betrayer. In Greek, the word for "piece of bread" is psomion. What's important to note is that this is a diminutive form of psocho, simply meaning "piece." In other words, when Jesus hands Judas a piece of bread, it isn't just a piece, it's a tiny piece. It's nothing but a crumb.
So, was it worth it? To betray the Son of God for a miniscule morsel? Hardly. For in the process of gaining a scrap of sustenance, Judas had forfeited his very soul. But before we stand too aghast at such an inequitable trade, perhaps it's worth asking ourselves if we don't do the same thing - if we don't trade our integrity, our character, and those things which are truly significant for the psomions of this world. We trade our marriage for an affair. We trade our generosity for greed. We trade eternity with God for the temporary trappings of this life. We trade all which counts for the diminutive crumbs that this world throws at us. As the author of Proverbs laments, "A man will do wrong for a piece of bread" (Proverbs 28:21). The question is, "Is it worth it?"
Jesus would answer, "No. It's not worth it." "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" he asks (Mark 8:36). The morsels of this world can never match or even approach the kingdom of God.
Perhaps the saddest and most shocking moment in John 13 comes with these words: "Judas took the bread" (verse 27). Jesus had to be hoping that he would refuse. Jesus had to be hoping that he wouldn't exchange his soul for a mere pittance of provision. But Judas did. Finally, it was Judas who made the exchange. This was Judas' desire, not Jesus'. But Judas' story need not be your story. For, by faith, you can keep what really counts: Jesus' gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation.
So today, ask yourself, "What psomions tempt me to exchange God's gifts for their allures?" And then pray for God for strength to stand up against such tiny trifles. After all, no matter how big the psomions of this world may look, they're never as big as the cross. In the end, the cross is all that's really "worth it." That's why Jesus died on it. And that's why we cling to it.
20 “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.
28:1 “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.
6 “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. 8 And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. 12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembrance. 13 You shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.
15 “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make it—of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it. 16 It shall be square and doubled, a span1 its length and a span its breadth. 17 You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius,2 topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; 18 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree. 21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 22 You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. 23 And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. 25 The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD. 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the LORD regularly.
31 “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment,3 so that it may not tear. 33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 35 And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the LORD, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.
36 “You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the LORD.’ 37 And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
39 “You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.
40 “For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty. 41 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 42 You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
[1] 28:16
[2] 28:17
[3] 28:32
(ESV)
Aaron and his sons were chosen to serve as priests before God. They were to offer gifts and sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. They also tended the altar of incense and offered up prayers to God for His people. In addition, they were charged with reading the Law of Moses to the people and reminding them of their covenant obligations to the Lord. The carefully designed robes they wore were intended to give them dignity and honor, "for glory and for beauty." Thus they were set apart from the people for service to the Lord. Nevertheless, Aaron the High Priest was a sinful human being just like the rest of the Israelites, so Hebrews reminds us that "He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness" (Hebrews 5:2). The High Priest's vestments consisted of linen undergarments, a coat of checker work, a blue robe, a multi-colored ephod (something like an apron) with a sash, a breastpiece, and a turban. A golden frontlet on the turban read, "Holy to the Lord." On the breastpiece were twelve precious stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Sometimes referred to as the Urim and the Thummin (or perhaps these were separate objects contained in the breastpiece), they were used for determining the will of the Lord. "Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly." Bells on the robe would indicate if the High Priest was still alive when he went behind the veil into the Most Holy Place. God's New Testament people have a Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, and "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
51:1 Have mercy on me,1 O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right2 spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(ESV)