Jesus Tree

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Nine

Today’s reading was about Judas taking thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, and Luke 22:1-6. You really have to look hard to the symbol to get what it is…looking inside a money bag at the silver coins, (and there really are 30 tiny felt circles!). Personally, I think there must have been a better way to design this one, but I didn’t have the energy to create something better myself.

It’s interesting to note that this story doesn’t include the actual betrayal of Jesus in the garden, or the events beforehand at the Last Supper…it’s only about Judas cutting a deal with the Chief Priests, and coming up with a plan to hand Jesus over to them. It’s also interesting that Matthew is the only Gospel that really focuses on Judas doing so in order to get something in return…the other two Gospels focus more on the fact that because he came up with a plan, the Chief Priests were so happy that they wanted to give him something. It does make you wonder…did he do it for the money, or was the money just a nice bonus? Then again, we know from John 12:4-8 that Judas was a thief, and obsessed with money, (not to mention the “treasurer” for the disciples), so it’s certainly not hard to believe that money was the motivating factor in his betrayal!

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Eight

We got an early start on Holy Week today, with readings about Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Since there are so many events to cover in the span of Holy Week, (at least three for Maundy Thursday alone!), it makes sense that we would have to start reading about them before the Holy Week actually starts, to fit everything in. The children were a little disappointed that the palm branch symbol was placed today instead of Sunday!

The readings came from three Gospels: Matthew 21:1-16; Mark 11:1-11; and Luke 19:29-44. The Matthew reading also included the second account of Jesus clearing the Temple, and the Luke reading also told of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Only the Mark reading focused only on Jesus entering Jerusalem.

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Seven

Today’s reading was from Matthew 20:20-28 and Mark 10:35-45–the mother of James and John asking that they be seated at the right and left hand of Jesus in His kingdom. Actually, the request was only made by their mother in the Matthew passage–in the Mark passage, the brothers asked Jesus themselves. Either way, the answer Jesus gave them was the same–while they may be required to suffer in a similar fashion to Him, it isn’t up to Him who receives those positions. I’ve always found it interesting that this story wasn’t recorded by John himself in his Gospel!

The symbol for today, in case it isn’t clear, is a throne, like James and John might have envisioned sitting on either side of. This one was a little hard to put together, because it’s so dimensional, but it does look pretty cool!

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Six

Today’s reading was about the rich young man who asked Jesus what he needed to do to go to heaven. This passage is found in three Gospels: Matthew 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-27; and Luke 18:18-27. I think that this story is particularly interesting because the rich young man claims to have kept all of the commandments, and yet is unable to walk away from his possessions. I wonder if the man was answering in the “letter of the law” way, saying he hadn’t actually murdered, so he kept that commandment, for example, or if he really believed himself to be capable of keeping the commandments on his own. If the latter is true, he had more problems than not being able to leave his things behind!

The symbol, for those who might be wondering, is the “gate to heaven.” I don’t think this one is really obvious on its own…it looks very regal, but I’m not sure my first guess would have been heaven!

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Five

Today’s reading was the story of the sinful woman anointing Jesus’s feet, as found in Luke 7:36-50. The real story here, however, isn’t the woman’s actions, (that’s just the first half of the story)–it’s the parable about the moneylender and the debtors Jesus told in response to the Pharisee’s questions, and the fact that He forgave the woman’s sins.

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Four

Today we read about the widow’s mite in Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4. This is a very short story, but shows how Jesus noticed the smallest of details about people, including the fact that while many rich people donated much, the widow, showing her faith, gave all she had.

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Three

Today’s reading was from John 8:1-11: Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. This reading contains one of Jesus’s more famous sayings: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” It also contains something that has long puzzled Biblical scholars about Jesus…what did He write on the ground? The answer to that question isn’t really important, God would have given us that information in the Bible if it was, but it is still a bit of a puzzle.

The symbol for today looks very much like the symbol for the readings about the Temptation of Jesus, but instead of tan stones, they’re gray. That’s not particularly important, either, but it is a little funny to see two similar symbols on the tree!

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-Two

Today we read another very familiar story–Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11:1-44. This reading is broken up in three parts: The death of Lazarus; Jesus going to console Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters; and Jesus raising Lazarus. Again, we see not only Jesus’s power over death, but also His compassion for his friends, as they mourned the loss of Lazarus. I also like the faith that Mary and Martha display in this story, both of them telling Jesus that if He had been there, their brother would not have died. They obviously recognized His power, but didn’t quite grasp just how powerful He actually was, as they didn’t consider and/or didn’t get that Jesus could actually raise Lazarus from the dead.

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty-One

Today’s reading was about paying taxes to Caesar, found in Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17, and Luke 20:20-26. This is another example of the Pharisees trying to trick Jesus into saying something that would either get Him in trouble with Jewish Law, or with the Roman government. Once again, however, Jesus knew exactly what to say, and left them marveling at His words.

The Jesus Tree–Day Thirty

Today’s reading was about how Jesus, because He had such great compassion for the widow of Nain, brought her son back to life. We read the account from Luke 7:11-17. This is a great story, not only because it showcases Jesus’s power over death, but because it also shows His great mercy toward this woman who would have otherwise been alone in the world without her son.