Matins Devotion: May 26, 2026

Luke 22:24-46

Throughout the earthly ministry of Jesus, His disciples are constantly arguing among themselves as to which of them will be the greatest in His kingdom, which of them will have the most glory, the most honor, the greatest position of power in the presumed earthly reign of our Lord. And here in our text for today, the disciples are doing this again, on the very night of our Lord’s betrayal. It’s all quite amazing. The disciples have now heard Jesus speak numerous words about His rapidly-approaching crucifixion. They’re witnessing His increasing distress, His agony wafting into the air that is already thick with the hatred that the Pharisees and Chief Priests have for their Lord. And yet, they simply can’t make sense of any of this. This isn’t enough to pull their thoughts away from earthly glory. And so we see something vitally important about the Christian faith. It doesn’t matter how much you are surrounded by Christian stuff, Christian ideas. It doesn’t matter how much you hear the word of the Scriptures or how much time you spend in Christian churches. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, all of those words will bounce off of your ears. So pray for a greater measure of the Spirit. Pray that God would take not His Holy Spirit from you. Cling to the Spirit who has pierced through your earthly-glory clogged ears and blessed you to believe in the true kingdom of Christ. And do all of this by looking to the cross of Christ. If you want glory, if you want honor, if you want the praise of God Himself, look to the place where God gave you everything. Look to the cross. In the wounds of Jesus Christ, see the glory of God pouring out upon you. Gaze upon the blood of your Savior and there you will find the crimson fibers that your Father wove together as the robe of honor placed around your shoulders. If you want the praise of God look to the place where God destroyed every sin that prevented you from possessing His kingdom. Look to the place where God washed you in His favor and love, the favor and love that gave you the right to be praised as His beloved child.