Matins Devotion: November 15, 2023
“And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him. But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them…For I am with you to save you,” declares the LORD…
This prophesy which came through the prophet Jeremiah heightens the great tragedy of the scene that Matthew lays out before us in the house of Caiaphas. There sits the chief priest. Next to him according to their order of rank are the other leading priests and elders of the people that sit of the great Council of the Sanhedrin. And there, in the middle of this assembly stands the lone figure of Jesus.
In this moment, these promises of God that Jeremiah has recorded are being fulfilled. Jesus is the Son of David—great David’s greater Son. He has been sent by his Father to break the yoke of the devil. To burst the bonds of death. To free them from their slavery to sin. This Jesus whom God has raised up is now standing right there in their midst. He is with them to save them.
But they refuse to see this Jesus. Instead, they listen to lies. They accuse him of blasphemy. They spit at him. Strike him. And condemn him as a criminal who deserves to die.
How often have we refused to see this Jesus—even when he stands with us in our midst? How often has Jesus stood in our midst ready burst the bonds of our embittered hearts and we have refused him? How often has Jesus stood in our midst ready to break the yoke of our lustful passions and we have indulged them? How often has Jesus stood in our midst ready to free us from slavery to every sin that so easily besets us and we have played that game of “deny, deny, deny?”
See Jesus for who he really is. He is the one who was falsely accused of your sins. Who suffered the punishment you deserve. Who was condemned to die your death. He is the Son of David who was raised up on a cross. Whom God has raised up from the dead. And who now stands in your midst—not to condemn you—but to save you. Not to break you—but to heal you. Not to enslave you—but to set you free from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Look upon this Jesus—fall to your knees in repentance—hear the good news and believe.