Parables,
Prayers,
&Promises
Daily Devotions on Jesus
Martha Martin
Contents
Preface
v
Week One
Day 1: Ash Wednesday
Day 2: Thursday
Day 3: Friday
Day 4: Saturday
Who Jesus Was
Who Do You Say That I Am?
Jesus the Teacher: The Mustard Seed
Jesus the Miracle Worker: The Loaves and Fishes
Jesus the Son of God
1
2
4
6
8
Week Two
First Sunday in Lent
Day 5: Monday
Day 6: Tuesday
Day 7: Wednesday
Day 8: Thursday
Day 9: Friday
Day 10: Saturday
What Jesus Did
Jesus Was Human: The Temptation of Jesus
Jesus Called Ordinary People
Jesus Practised Hospitality
Jesus Welcomed Children
Jesus Was Friends with Everyone
Jesus Died
Jesus Was Jewish
11
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
Week Three
Second Sunday in Lent
Day 11: Monday
Day 12: Tuesday
Day 13: Wednesday
Day 14: Thursday
Day 15: Friday
Day 16: Saturday
Jesus on the Kin-dom
Jesus Taught through Conversation
The Kin-dom of God Is Like a Seed
Growing Secretly
The Kin-dom of God Is Like a Hidden Treasure
The Kin-dom of God Is Like Labourers
in a Vineyard
Jesus Promises to Be with Us Always
Jesus Promises Rest
Jesus Promises Life
27
28
Week Four
Third Sunday in Lent
Day 17: Monday
Day 18: Tuesday
Day 19: Wednesday
Day 20: Thursday
Day 21: Friday
Day 22: Saturday
Jesus on Prayer
Jesus and Women
Jesus on Prayer
Jesus’ Prayer
Jesus’ Advice on Prayer
Jesus Offers Blessings
Jesus Talks about Stuff
Jesus Talks about Money
43
44
46
48
50
52
54
56
30
32
34
36
38
40
Week Five
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Day 23: Monday
Day 24: Tuesday
Day 25: Wednesday
Day 26: Thursday
Day 27: Friday
Day 28: Saturday
Sayings of Jesus
Jesus Healed
Jesus Says Don’t Worry
Jesus Says Do Something
Jesus Says Don’t Expect Anything in Return
Jesus Says Keep Searching
Jesus Says Be Reconciled
Jesus Says Pursue Justice Persistently
59
60
62
64
66
68
70
72
Week Six
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Day 29: Monday
Day 30: Tuesday
Day 31: Wednesday
Day 32: Thursday
Day 33: Friday
Day 34: Saturday
Instructions of Jesus
Jesus Calls Us to New Life
Jesus Says It Matters How You Live
Jesus Says Keep Awake
Jesus Meets Us Where We Are
Jesus Says Be Salt and Light
Jesus Promises Help
Jesus Promises Hope
75
76
78
80
82
84
86
88
Holy Week
Palm/Passion Sunday
Day 35: Monday
Day 36: Tuesday
Day 37: Wednesday
Day 38: Maundy Thursday
Day 39: Good Friday
Day 40: Holy Saturday
Why Follow Jesus?
Jesus Enters Jerusalem
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
Jesus Prays for the World
Jesus Prays for Himself
Jesus Forgives
Jesus Promises to Remember Us
Jesus Surrenders to God
Easter
Easter Sunday
Nothing Separates Us from the Love of God 107
Witnesses to the Resurrection
108
91
92
94
96
98
100
102
104
Study Guide
111
Contributors
130
PREFACE
A few years ago somebody asked me how I could be so sure of my love for
Jesus, a historical figure whom I can never meet. I had a really hard time
answering this question in a way that did not sound fanciful and cliché. My
love grew and deepened out of a relationship, and that relationship started
with curiosity: who was this Jesus of Nazareth, what was his story, and why
are people still talking about him some 2,000 years later?
In response to that person’s question I wrote this:
I met Jesus today . . .
They are tall, strong, and proud, with
deep cocoa skin,
calluses on their fingers,
blisters on their feet,
and Skittles in their pocket.
They are recognizable by
the resiliency in their eyes,
the compassion in their smile,
and their ability to forgive those who trespass against them.
They will be exalted with placards, hashtags, and protests,
after they are killed by systems of oppression.
I met Jesus today . . .
It’s a little cryptic, perhaps. I was trying to say that, once I knew and loved
Jesus, I started to recognize him and his passion in the brokenness and
suffering around me. My love for him transferred to those I saw him in, and
my life has never been the same.
Each Lent we are invited to spend some time getting to know Jesus:
who he was, what he did, what he taught, how he prayed, and how his
ministry continues through followers of his Way. It is hoped that this book
of devotions (and its corresponding study guide) based on the parables,
prayers, and promises of Jesus will help deepen (or begin) your relationship
with Jesus of Nazareth.
Where might you meet Jesus this Lent?
Alydia Smith, Worship, Music, and Spirituality
Daily Devotions on Jesus | v
WEEK ONE
Who Jesus Was
Week One
DAY 1: ASH WEDNESDAY
Who Do You Say That I Am?
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his
disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others,
Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”
Mark 8:27–29
A number of years ago the Student Christian Movement of Canada published
a poster called the ABCs of Jesus. It goes through the alphabet, with a little
cartoon and a caption for each letter, each one based on a story about Jesus.
I have used the poster many times as a Bible study, especially with youth
and young adults. One of my favourites is T, which is for “Transfigured,
or trippy.” The caption says, “One time when Jesus was hanging out with
his friends he went all glowy . . . it was really trippy.” Somehow, it just puts
a whole different spin on the story of the transfiguration, which happens
several days after the exchange between Jesus and Peter that is quoted above.
It makes Jesus sound like a fun guy to be around.
In today’s scripture, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
Then Jesus asks them, “But who do you say that I am?” To claim the title
“Christian” means to invite Jesus into our lives and answer the question
“Who do you say that I am?” How we answer that question depends
on many things—our history with the faith tradition, our exposure to
the many stories of Jesus, and, of course, how these stories were taught
to us. Our answer also may change over our lives, depending on new
understandings and our life’s circumstances.
The exchange between Jesus and his disciples implies that who others say
Jesus is may not always be who you say Jesus is. How do you answer those
two questions?
2 | Parables, Prayers, & Promises
Who Jesus Was
Prayer
God of the journey,
may these Lenten days be blessed
with prayerful silence and holy wisdom.
May they be filled with surprises and laughter, comfort,
and perhaps, even, uncomfortable insights.
May I be open to receive the ancient stories anew
so that I may live, transformed,
into new understandings and new life. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
ƒƒ Which stories help you talk about Jesus?
ƒƒ How do you describe Jesus to someone who knows nothing about him?
ƒƒ What are some of the questions you have about Jesus?
Popular Links
Websites with different artistic portrayals of Jesus:
Christ of the Breadlines—Fritz Eichenberg
(www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/8367811926)
Laughing Jesus—Willis Wheatley
(http://vancouversun.com/tag/willis-wheatley)
The Entry of Christ into Chicago in 1976—Roger Brown
(http://napkindad.com/blog/project/artists-i-love)
Indigenous Jesus (http://indigenousjesus.blogspot.ca)
Life of Jesus Mafa (https://youtu.be/6rTJYasREzI)
E-mail [email protected] to ask for the ABCs of Jesus poster in exchange
for a donation and postage cost.
Hymn Suggestions
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” (Voices United 334)
“First-born of Mary” (More Voices 110)
Daily Devotions on Jesus | 3
Week One
DAY 2: THURSDAY
Jesus the Teacher: The Mustard Seed
He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for
it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds
on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth
large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
Mark 4:30–32
I used to think that this parable was about something small growing into
something very large, and the power of faith. That’s how I had always heard
it interpreted, as an allegory for faith. But that has been challenged in recent
years. I have heard it said that when you start thinking that you understand
a parable, you have already lost the meaning. Jesus’ parables were never
meant to be easily understood. A parable, unlike a fable, is intended to
generate more questions than answers and does not have a tidy saying
or obvious lesson or pearl of wisdom at the end that is clear and easy to
understand.
Jesus’ parables are meant to challenge conventional thought, or what
you thought you knew. They confront with a surprising or even an
uncomfortable truth that may be difficult to receive. While it is tempting
to try to simplify parables into a concise, explainable truth, they are really
meant to unsettle, discombobulate, and even leave us vulnerable and
open to new ways of thinking. It is only then that we begin to understand
differently.
Jesus was a wise teacher who rarely gave answers to the questions that people
posed to him, but told a story or asked a question back. He expected people
to think about it, to let it sink in, to have it work its truth into the heart
of the listener. The parable of the mustard seed at first glance does seem to
be about a small plant that has the capacity to grow into something huge.
4 | Parables, Prayers, & Promises
Who Jesus Was
However, the mustard plant is also considered to be a weed that, once it
takes hold, is unstoppable. It can also be dangerous, or at the very least, a bit
pesky to its neighbours. What does that understanding of the mustard seed
say about the kingdom of God?
Prayer
Challenging God,
plant dreams of your kingdom deep in my heart.
Feed and nurture them with warm light and cool shade,
so that these dreams take root in my thoughts and actions,
guiding all that I do. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
ƒƒ How do you feel when you receive a different interpretation of a story
other than the one you have?
ƒƒ How do you feel about living with questions, not answers?
Popular Links
“Tell All the Truth, but Tell It Slant”—Emily Dickinson
(www.poetryfoundation.org)
“The Power of Parable”—Interview with Peter Rollins
(https://youtu.be/z8UpU7H-2f8)
Hymn Suggestions
“When Seed Falls on Good Soil” (Voices United 503)
“Beyond the Beauty and the Awe” (More Voices 80)
Daily Devotions on Jesus | 5
Week One
DAY 3: FRIDAY
Jesus the Miracle Worker:
The Loaves and Fishes
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he
looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the
disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left
over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.
Matthew 14:19–20
The story of the feeding of the 5,000 appears in all four gospels. It must
have held great significance for the early Jesus movement. If we only focus
on the miracle of making more food out of very little, we miss perhaps even
a greater miracle. What if most of the folks that day on the hill actually had
brought some food with them as they set off on their journey to find Jesus?
What if, by ordering the crowd to sit down in some organized fashion,
they shared their food with each other, and even those who hadn’t brought
anything had enough to eat?
In the summer of 2013, 100 United Church pilgrims travelled to
Cheltenham, England, to attend the Greenbelt Festival, a Christian festival
of theology, arts, and social justice. Close to 20,000 people were organized
into smaller groups of 15, and each group was given a paper bag. Each bag
contained a small bottle of wine, a homemade roll, and a plastic cup. After
the communion prayer, we shared the bread and wine with each other.
It was a moving experience. But it wasn’t a real “meal,” where everyone was
fed, like in the story above. Or was it? The gospel story says, “All ate and
were filled.” I certainly felt filled that day at Greenbelt, with only a tiny
piece of bread and a sip of wine. But that’s thinking metaphorically, not
literally.
6 | Parables, Prayers, & Promises
Who Jesus Was
If we only take the story literally, that Jesus performed a miracle and fed
5,000 people with a small amount of food, we don’t get the full depth of
its meaning. We don’t get to the place where we see that the disciples were
stuck in a theology of scarcity, where Jesus saw possibility and abundance.
We don’t get that the miracle might have been the change of hearts of
the people on the hillside to share what they had so that all might be fed.
Instead of performing the miracle, Jesus enabled the people to perform the
miracle.
Prayer
Thank you, God, for the everyday miracles
that your presence brings to our lives:
the ordinary acts of love, faith, and kindness
that become extraordinary,
the perspectives that change,
and the new possibilities that emerge. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
ƒƒ When did you think that there wasn’t enough, when in fact there was
plenty?
ƒƒ What miracles have you experienced?
ƒƒ How do you understand the feeding of the 5,000? Why do you think it
is such a popular story?
Popular Link
From Bruce Almighty—God explains miracles to Bruce
(https://youtu.be/8ZN9L0oDZoQ)
Hymn Suggestions
“You Satisfy the Hungry Heart” (Voices United 478)
“We Will Take What You Offer” (More Voices 196)
Daily Devotions on Jesus | 7
Week One
DAY 4: SATURDAY
Jesus the Son of God
Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though
they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe
this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one
coming into the world.”
John 11:25–27
When we talk about the identity of Jesus, we are exploring the Christian
theology that is called Christology. Particularly, we explore the idea that
Jesus was both divine and human. It’s important to know that there
has been a spectrum of “Christologies,” or beliefs about Jesus, since the
beginning of the early church, each with a biblical basis.
When my daughter was four years old, I was still in the midst of my
diaconal training at the Centre for Christian Studies. I was doing my
educational field placement at Bedford United Church in Nova Scotia.
Driving home early one Sunday afternoon, she announced from the back
seat, “I’m going home to draw a picture of God.” I asked her what she
thought the picture might look like. “I don’t know,” she said, “but I know
he wears sandals.”
Now, I was in my early days of feminist theological awakening, and all
I heard at the time was the word “HE.” I launched into a great talk,
something along the lines of “Some people think of God as female blah blah
blah . . .” at which point she furrowed her brow and looked confused.
Later, when we got down to actually drawing the picture, it turned out to
be a beautiful page of flowers, with the word “HEAVEN” at the top and a
giant picture of a man with sandals over the whole picture. It was Jesus.
I had completely missed the point that, for her, God and Jesus were
8 | Parables, Prayers, & Promises
Who Jesus Was
somehow the same. I still have the picture to remind me of a child’s wisdom
and my tendency to over-think things sometimes.
I have come to understand Jesus as the best example of divine wisdom and
embodiment that those of us who claim the title “Christian” have. The
resurrection and the life that Jesus speaks of to Martha after the death of her
brother Lazarus may be an afterlife. However, when read alongside other
stories of Jesus, like the story of the loaves and fishes, his words might also
point to abundant life in the here and now.
Prayer
Jesus, you are beyond our understanding,
yet we relate to you as a brother and a friend.
Through spiritual practice and prayer,
help us to learn more about you.
And through words and teachings,
help us to learn more about your Way. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
ƒƒ How has your understanding of Jesus changed over time?
ƒƒ What understandings of Jesus challenge you?
Popular Links
“Who Is Jesus: Setting the Record Straight”—Richard Rohr
(https://youtu.be/mdFCciweruk)
“Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, Talks about the ‘Cosmic’ Christ”
(https://youtu.be/t0XXCBv6Z6s)
Hymn Suggestions
“Jesu, Joy of Our Desiring” (Voices United 328)
“Christ, within Us Hidden” (More Voices 162)
Daily Devotions on Jesus | 9
Who was Jesus of Nazareth? What did he teach? How did he pray?
How does Jesus’ ministry continue through his followers today?
Get to know Jesus more intimately—and live out the good news.
Where might you meet Jesus this Lent? How will you follow him?
Full of stories that are well-written, relevant, and honest….
This Lent, Martha Martin helps us connect anew to the One we follow.
—Maya Landell
A welcome gift for anyone yearning to deepen their faithfulness….
Thoughtful reflections on scripture, tender prayers, provocative questions,
and links to accompanying art, videos, poetry, and song.
—Michelle Slater
This devotional comes to us from the depth of an author’s own spiritual
experiences, contemporary scholarship, and discernment…. I commend it
to all who desire to grow in faith.
—Paul Douglas Walfall
“The resurrection experience is not one
that you can capture in a quick cellphone shot.
It happens again and again, and it continues...”
Includes an illustrated study guide by Trisha Elliott, for groups or individuals.
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Prayers,
&Promises
Daily Devotions on Jesus
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