Tag Archives: Jesus

Peter Disowns Jesus

20 Monday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 84, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”


Today’s Reading: Psalm 84:8-12(NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
I love you. I know that you love me because Jesus showed the extent of your love.
He reaches out to me with nail-scarred hands.
I want to spend my day with you
Amen.

   — — — —

 

Gospel Reading:
Peter Disowns Jesus

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard,
and a servant girl came to him.
“You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

But he denied it before them all.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Then he went out to the gateway,
where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there,
“This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

He denied it again, with an oath:
“I don’t know the man!”

After a little while,
those standing there went up to Peter and said,
“Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them,
“I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. 
Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken:
“Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
And he went outside and wept bitterly.
(Matthew 26:69-75).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

James—His Death and Legacy

19 Sunday Jul 2026

Posted by in Books by David Kitz

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———— Epilogue ————
The Tipping Point

James: the Lynchpin of Our Faith

After Paul gives his mission report before James and the elders in Acts 21, one of the elders (possibly James) makes a statement that hints at the growing power and influence of the church in Jerusalem:

When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.” (Acts 21:20)

Scholars are divided about the size and influence of the Jewish church prior to the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple by the Romans in AD 70. In addition to Luke’s account in Acts, there is a growing body of evidence from the historical record that suggests the Jewish church was reaching a cultural or religious tipping point. That would mean the growth in the numbers of adherents was so significant it was possible to imagine Christianity becoming the dominant belief system right in heart of Judaism.

Historically, the possibility of an outbreak of persecution increases significantly when the rapid growth of Christianity approaches a tipping point within a previously homogeneous culture. This was the case in Japan when the warrior general Toyotomi Hideyoshi unleashed a wave of persecution. On February 5, 1597, he ordered the crucifixion of twenty-six Christians in Nagasaki to discourage conversions, which were becoming increasingly common. By the late 1500s Christianity in Japan was reaching a tipping point. Martyrdom and slaughter stopped the spread of Christianity in its tracks.

The triumphal entry into Jerusalem

Currently, much of Boko Haram’s persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria can be seen as a backlash against the rapid growth of the faith in that predominantly Muslim region during recent decades.

For the church in Jerusalem, severe persecution after the martyrdom of Stephen was followed by a period of relative peace due to the conversion of their chief antagonist Saul of Tarsus. For roughly two decades there was an uneasy peace between the two camps. But the growth of Christianity among the Jewish diaspora did not sit well with Jewish religious authorities. Similarly, the churches’ inclusion of Gentile converts in the faith raised the ire of Jewish religious purists. The riot surrounding Paul’s arrest in the temple courts was proof of that.

High taxes and unrest with Rome only compounded the religious tension. Religious zealots resisted paying taxes since Roman coinage was offensive to them.

Roman coins had pictures of their goddess Roma or their divine emperor, which broke Jewish religious strictures against graven images and paying tribute to other gods. To make matters worse, the procurators who collected these impossible sums (Pontius Pilate was one) were in the main corrupt men who despised Jews. (1)

It appears that a tipping point was reached with the election of the new high priest Ananus. Ananus found an ideal opportunity to act against James, this troubling thorn in his side.

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, writing ca. 94, James with “certain others” was stoned in 62 at the instigation of the Sadducee high priest Ananus, as one of his first acts as high priest. Ananus was able to carry out the execution because the newly appointed Roman procurator, Albinius, had not arrived yet in Palestine. (2)

Give me oil in my lamp — Matthew 25:1-13

There is no scriptural account of the death of James. What knowledge we have comes from church tradition and relies heavily on two sources, the writings of Josephus noted above and Hegesippus. Hegesippus provides more of a plot line to this story.

According to Hegesippus, James met his death after being presented to the people at Passover to give his impartial judgment about Jesus. When he proclaimed Jesus as the Son of man, seated at God’ right hand, he was cast down from the temple, stoned and clubbed to death. (3)

There is something darkly fitting about the death of James. He died as his brother died:

• at the Passover
• with great brutality
• at the instigation of the high priest
• giving testimony to the divinity of Christ
• and according Hegesippus, asking for the forgiveness of his murderers.

The plot hatched by Ananus seems fitting as well. The plan was to lure James to the pinnacle of the temple so he could address the Passover crowd below. Surely the high priest knew that rather than deny his brother’s Messianic call, James would endorse him. He surely knew that James would find it difficult to resist an opportunity to testify to all gathered there that Jesus was the Christ.

All Ananus needed to do was to ensure that he had some conveniently placed henchmen in place to throw James off the wall and others of like persuasion below to guarantee his death. All proceeded exactly as planned—except the victim survived the fall. Those below made sure death came quickly.


The plot as described here bears some resemblance to an earlier plot hatched in co-operation with the Sanhedrin to have Paul murdered before he could provide a second round of testimony. This occurred after his arrest in the temple.

The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound them- selves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the com-mander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.” (Acts 23:12–15)

In Paul’s case the plot was discovered in advance. The commander of the Roman garrison intervened by sending Paul at night and under heavy guard to Caesarea. Thanks to this Roman intervention, Paul’s life was spared.

But for James, whether by a stroke of good luck or through strategic planning, Ananus was able to ensure that the Roman authorities could not intervene in this bit of dirty business—since, as Josephus points out, the procurator Albinius had not yet arrived.

On this earlier occasion Paul’s life was spared, but four years later James was not so fortunate.

So, what became of the body of James? Again, from Hegesippus we read:

And so he suffered martyrdom; and they buried him on the spot, and the pillar erected to his memory still remains, close by the temple. This man was a true witness to both Jews and Greeks that Jesus is the Christ. (4)

If this report is to be believed (and there are grounds for doubt) then it brings into question the legitimacy of the stone ossuary discovered in 2002. With the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70, the location of this burial spot and the memorial pillar are impossible to verify.

Roman Catholics would have us believe that the bones of James are buried at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. According to one Catholic tradition, his bones were brought there by boat after his death. Despite the popularity of the pilgrimage route known as Camino de Santiago, or the Way of James, the evidence of the historic James having any actual connection to this site is scant to nonexistent. The con-nection of James to Spain appears to belong to the realm of medieval myth and superstition.

If Christian believers collected James’ body after he was stoned, his bones may have ended up in a stone ossuary, since this was the burial practice during this historic period. Was it the stone ossuary currently belonging to Oded Golan? The verdict on that matter remains uncertain.

In 2012, after a trial lasting seven years, Oded Golan was acquitted of forging biblical artifacts. According to the trial judge’s verdict, as reported in the Times of Israel, there was insufficient scientific evidence to validate or disprove the authenticity of the ossuary.

In his ruling Wednesday, the judge went out of his way to say that the fact Golan had been found not guilty did not mean the artifacts were real.

His decision to clear Golan of forging the inscription on the James ossuary, he wrote, “does not mean that the inscription on the ossuary is authentic or that it was written 2,000 years ago. This will continue to be studied by scientists and archaeologists, and time will tell.

“Moreover,” he wrote, “it was not proven in any way that the words ‘the brother of Jesus’ necessarily refer to the ‘Jesus’ who appears in Christian writings.”

This applies to all of the artifacts in question, he added several hundred pages later in the lengthy text of his decision: “All that has been established is that the tools and the science currently at the disposal of the experts who testified were not sufficient to prove the alleged forgeries beyond a reasonable doubt as is
required by criminal law.” (5)

Time photo of the James Ossuary

What is clear from the verdict is that uncertainty remains. This line from the judge’s ruling is particularly revealing: “This will continue to be studied by scientists and archaeologists, and time will tell.”

In other words, further developments or research may yet confirm that the ossuary is linked to James the brother of Jesus. Of course, just the opposite may also occur. In short, the mystery remains.

What time has told us over the centuries is that James, whether in life or death, can generate a great deal of controversy and debate. We can be certain he will continue to inspire debate.

As for the legacy of James, after centuries of neglect there has been a revival of interest in this prominent New Testament figure. The life of James—the saint, the apostle, and the hinge to the Gentile world—is being studied and re-examined as never before. New books on his life and commentaries on his epistle are appear-ing. The church and the world are discovering the prominent—even preeminent—role that he played in the first century church.

Some of this interest comes from a renewed interest in discovering the Jewish roots of Christianity. At the same time, there has been a resurgence of Messianic Judaism in recent decades. As the first leader of the Jewish church, James quite naturally is a subject of great interest.

Finally, many scholars are discovering a deeper understanding of the Epistle of James. After centuries of de-nominational dogmatism, present-day theologians are discovering how James contributes to our under-standing of faith and salvation. They are seeing direct links between this epistle and the central teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount.


Yet one question remains: How is James, the brother of Jesus, the lynchpin of our faith?

For the answer to that question, we need to turn to a present-day farmer with a ninety-thousand-dollar tractor. That farmer knows everything on that new tractor can work perfectly, but the tractor is useless without a lynchpin. This is because the tractor is specifically designed to pull a myriad of farm implements—such as a seeder, a plow, a hay baler, and a variety of harvest equipment. A single lynchpin is needed to hitch the tractor to all those machines. A lynchpin is not optional. It’s essential.

The gospel message is like that powerful tractor. The gospel can accomplish great thing —but the soil needs to be cultivated, the seed needs to be planted, and the harvest needs to be brought in. Jesus used similar agricultural analogies in many of his kingdom parables. In the first-century church, James was the lynchpin in our faith that made all this possible.

How so you ask?

First, James verifies the truth of the resurrection far more effectively than anyone else. This brother—this close family member—had publicly opposed Jesus and his message. Then suddenly, after Jesus’ humiliating death as a blasphemous criminal, James flips. He testifies that Jesus is alive. He confesses his error and joins the apostles. This is an astonishing reversal that signals a transformative encounter with the resurrected Christ.


Second, James validates the truth of the born-again experience. This man who thought Christ was a lunatic suddenly changes. He embraces the faith he once mocked, joins the fellowship of believers, and is transformed by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit.

Third, James fully exemplifies the forgiveness and reconciliation embedded in the gospel message. After years of tension and animosity two brothers are fully reconciled. Where there was hate, love reigns.

Fourth—and most importantly—James throws open the door to the Gentile world for the gospel message. Intuitively he knows that this is what Jesus wants and what the scriptures predicted would happen.

Fifth, in his epistle, James declares a gospel message that works—a message that affirms the grace of God and challenges every believer to live a life of humility and service to others. James has a faith that is more than mental assent to a set of beliefs. It’s a call to practical love and action.

In all these ways James acts as the lynchpin for the gospel message. He secures the message so it can penetrate the hard soil of human hearts. He releases the seed of the word into the Gentile world, and he sees an abundant harvest through men like Paul. He ensures that the message preached is balanced, practical, and a true reflection of Jesus’ teaching. He was the sound leader the church needed. James was and is the essential lynchpin of our faith, who jumpstarted the first-century church.

After nearly two millennia of misinformation and neglect, James may finally be getting the respect he is due.

The stone box is empty. There are no bones in the ossuary, just as there are no bones in Jesus’ tomb. When the women came to the empty tomb at the dawning of the first Sunday of a new age, they were greeted by two angels who said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (See Luke 24:5-6).

When we go looking for James, we too may discover that he is not among the dead. The Christian believer knows that along with Jesus, his brother James is smiling down from glory as he enjoys all the fuss an ancient stone box has stirred up.

(1) Joseph Cummins, Why Some Wars Never End: The Stories of the Longest Conflicts in History (Fair Winds, 2010), p. 85.
(2) W. A. Beardslee, James, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Volume 2, Edited by George Arthur Buttrick (Abingdon, 1984), p. 793.
(3) Beardslee, James, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Volume 2, pp. 793–794.
(4) Fragments from the Acts of the Church; Concerning the Martyrdom of James, the Brother of the Lord, from Book 5.
(5) Matti Friedman, “Oded Golan is not guilty of Forgery. So is the ‘James Ossuary’ for real?” The Times of Israel, (March 14, 2012).

New from David Kitz

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

 

Those Whose Strength Is in You

18 Saturday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 80, Psalms

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Listen to Psalm 84:1-7  read by Jonathan Dent

Reading: Psalm 84:1-7 (NIV)*

For the director of music. According to gittith.
Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

Response

LORD God, I want to be near to you today. I want to dwell where you are. Please come and stay with me. I invite you into my life. Be as close to me as my next breath. Amen.

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II


Take a journey to the cross.


To view further details or purchase click here.

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

17 Friday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 84, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”


Today’s Reading: Psalm 84:1-7(NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
I want to be near to you today.
I want to dwell where you are.
Please come and stay with me.
Be as close to me as my next breath
Amen.

   — — — —

 

Gospel Reading:
Jesus Arrested

Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest,
where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled.
But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest.
He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus
so that they could put him to death.
But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally two came forward  and declared, “This fellow said,
‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer?
What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”
 But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God:
Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you:
From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand
of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[a]

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy!
Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists.
Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”
(Matthew 26:57-68).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

Jesus Arrested

16 Thursday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 83, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”


Today’s Reading: Psalm 83:9-18(NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
 today I choose to think thoughts that lift me up
and bring me closer to you.
With your help I reject those thoughts that bring me down.
Holy Spirit blow through my life.
Amen.

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
Jesus Arrested

While he was still speaking, Judas,
one of the Twelve, arrived.
With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs,
sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them:
“The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.”
Going at once to Jesus, Judas said,
“Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”

Then the men stepped forward,
seized Jesus and arrested him.
With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword,
drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him,
“for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
Do you think I cannot call on my Father,
and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

In that hour Jesus said to the crowd,
“Am I leading a rebellion,
that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?
Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me.
But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
(Matthew 26:47-56).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

Gethsemane

15 Wednesday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 83, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”


Today’s Reading: Psalm 83:1-8(NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
 we have a powerful opponent,
but we have victory through your Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
I call on your awesome name.
Give me victory over sin and the forces of evil
that are out to destroy my life. My strength is in you.
Amen.

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
Gethsemane

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane,
and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him,
and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
Then he said to them,
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed,
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.
Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.
“Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

He went away a second time and prayed,
“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup
to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

 When he came back, he again found them sleeping,
because their eyes were heavy.
So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time,
saying the same thing.

Then he returned to the disciples and said to them,
“Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come,
and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.
Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
(Matthew 26:36-46).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

14 Tuesday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 82, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”


Today’s Reading: Psalm 82(NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD,
you are the Most High.
Help me to stop comparing myself with others.
All I have comes from you.
Today I want to get off my pedestal and help someone else.
Show me how, Lord.
Amen.

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

Then Jesus told them,
“This very night you will all fall away on account of me,
for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered,
“this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

But Peter declared,
“Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”
And all the other disciples said the same.
(Matthew 26:31-35).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

The Last Supper

13 Monday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 81, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”


Today’s Reading: Psalm 81:10-16(NIV)*

Listen to today’s reading by Jonathan Dent:

LORD God,
today I choose to follow you.
I want to be on your side,
rooting for the right team.
I trust the promises in your word.
You bring me victory,
provision, and enduring joy.
Amen.

   — — — —

 

Gospel Reading:
The Last Supper

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
“Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says:
My appointed time is near.
I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”
So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said,
“Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other,
“Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”

Jesus replied,
“The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.
But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!
It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said,
“Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”

Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

While they were eating,
Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
This is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on
until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
(Matthew 26:17-30).

* * *

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them.
And this is how we know that he lives in us:
We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(1 John 3:24 NIV)

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return
to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

New from David Kitz.

To view further details or purchase click here.

James and Jesus—Reflecting His Brother’s Voice

12 Sunday Jul 2026

Posted by in Books by David Kitz

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James: the Lynchpin of Our Faith — Chapter 19

A few weeks ago, I had a rather embarrassing experience. My wife handed me the telephone, saying, “It’s Josh.” Josh is my youngest son.

For some reason my wife’s comment did not register in my brain. My mind had been on my oldest son Tim. For the next five minutes, our phone conversation continued with me convinced that I was talking to Tim. It was only when some life circumstances did not align that I realized I was speaking to Josh. I felt truly em-barrassed. I had trouble distinguishing between my sons’ voices!

The plain truth of the matter is that brothers’ voices sound similar. There is something in the genetic make-up of the vocal cords and the oral structures that result in a similar sounding voice. Audiologists will tell you that every person’s voiceprint is unique, but there are vocal and speech pattern similarities within families. These develop not just because of genetics, but because they spend so much time speaking to each other.

In the same way writers have a voice. Each author has a distinctive way of writing. If you are familiar with an author’s writing style, you can often identify an unfamiliar piece of his or her writing by style alone. Just as each of us has unique fingerprints and voiceprints, we also have a unique way of writing—a writing voice.

When we examine the Epistle of James, we see a writing style—syntax, word choice, and sentence structure—that is unique to James. The other New Testament epistle writers—Peter, Paul, John, and Jude—each have a unique voice, a unique way they use written language to express their ideas.

What truly sets James apart is his brotherhood with Jesus. Since Jesus and James are brothers, can we find Jesus’ voice reflected in the Epistle of James? More specifically can we hear the voice, core values, and tone of Jesus through the written words of James? If these two men are really brothers, raised in the same household, exposed to the same values, then it logically follows that their voice would align in many respects.

It would seem only natural that Jesus and the regenerate James would have the same interests and ideals. Are these reflected in the Epistle of James? Is James animated by the same issues and concerns that animated the life of Jesus?

Jesus was not a writer; he has left us with no written text. Fortunately, the Gospels provide us with many direct quotations. But if Jesus wrote an epistle, would the voice in that epistle sound more like Paul or more like James? There are ample grounds to believe such an epistle would read a lot like James.

If you read the Epistle of James with your ear attuned for the voice and tone of Jesus, the epistle comes alive in a whole new way. The character of this epistle is reflective of the character of Jesus like no other piece of Christian literature.

With these questions in mind, let’s examine the Epistle of James to try and find the voice of Jesus in its text. The intent is not to provide a verse-by-verse commentary on the epistle. There are several fine commentaries on the market that do just that. Instead, this chapter provides an overview of the epistle, with a focus on indicators of James’ brotherhood with Jesus.

Discerning the actual structure of this epistle has been a problem for many Bible scholars. The letter appears to be series of vivid observations coupled with commands for righteous living.

Because it is filled with short, pithy sayings, some have compared the Epistle of James to the Book of Proverbs. To an extent the comparison is valid, since wisdom for living is one of James’ central themes, but the epistle is much more than a collection of proverbs.

A careful reading of the Epistle of James reveals a prevailing pattern. In the first chapter James introduces a series of topics or themes. Then over the next four chapters, he returns to each of these themes again and again. It’s as though he is driving in a nail. In the first chapter or occasion, this master carpenter sets the nail and gives it that initial penetrating tap, but then over the next four chapters he returns again and again to that same theme as he drives home his point.

This can be best illustrated by looking at a specific example. One of the dominant themes throughout the epistle is the injustice of the wealthy, how that contrasts with the poor, and ultimately how God will judge the rich. James introduces this theme with these words:

Any of God’s people who are poor should be glad that he thinks so highly of them. But any who are rich should be glad when God makes them humble. Rich people will disappear like wild flowers scorched by the burning heat of the sun. The flowers lose their blossoms, and their beauty is destroyed. That is how the rich will disappear, as they go about their business. (James 1:9–11, CEV)

In chapter two James touches on this theme again when he deals with how the rich should be treated when they come to a Christian meeting:

My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others. Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. That is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.

My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. He has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. You mistreat the poor. But isn’t it the rich who boss you around and drag you off to court? Aren’t they the ones who make fun of your Lord? (James 2:1–7, CEV)
Finally, in chapter five James concludes by driving the nail home with his indictment against the rich:

You rich people should cry and weep! Terrible things are going to happen to you. Your treasures have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. Your money has rusted and the rust will be evidence against you, as it burns your body like fire. Yet you keep on storing up wealth in these last days. You refused to pay the people who worked in your fields and now their unpaid wages are shouting out against you. The Lord All-Powerful has surely heard the cries of the workers who harvested your crops.

While here on earth, you have thought only of filling your own stomachs and having a good time. But now you are like fat cattle on their way to be butchered. You have con-demned and murdered innocent people, who couldn’t even fight back. (James 5:1–6, CEV)

James uses the same approach as he addresses other themes or topics. He introduces the theme of faith early in his epistle with this passage:

But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you
anything at all. (James 1:6–8, CEV)

This is followed by the major faith/works discourse already cited earlier, where he discusses and contrasts the faith of Abraham and of demons (James 2:14–26).

Then in chapter five he drives the nail of faith deeper with these words:

If you are sick, ask the church leaders to come and pray for you. Ask them to put olive oil on you in the name of the Lord. If you have faith when you pray for sick people, they will get well. The Lord will heal them, and if they have sinned, he will forgive them. (James 5:14–15, CEV)

He delivers the final blow on this theme by using the illustration of Elijah’s prayer of faith:

The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot. Elijah was just as human as we are, and for three and a half years his prayers kept the rain from falling. But when he did pray for rain, it fell from the skies and made the crops grow. (James 5:16b–18, CEV)

This pattern of introducing a theme and then returning again and again to drive it home is a feature that is unique to James’ writing style. But this pattern of repetition was also used by Jesus when he was teaching. Jesus did not give us one parable about the kingdom of God. In the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, he presents seven kingdom parables in a single teaching session.

Similarly, Jesus did not tell just one story to illustrate the truth of God’s love for a lost soul: he gave us three. In Luke 15 he gave us the story of the prodigal, the lost coin, and the lost sheep. This propensity for repetition, and for examining a truth from various angles, is a brotherly trait that James carried through into his writing.

Another pervasive style element that we have already touched on is James’ frequent use of the imperative. Jon Mark Ruthven pointed out that there are 52 commands in the 104 verses of James’ epistle. James makes far greater use of the imperative form than any other New Testament epistle writer. He writes as one having authority. This is only fitting since he served as the head of the mother church in Jerusalem.

But James’ authoritative tone also reflects the tone that Jesus projected. After completing his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus drew this reaction:

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 7:28–29)

In this important respect, the voice of Jesus and the written voice of James are remarkably similar. Like his older brother, James calls his readers to action. There is nothing tentative or uncertain about the notes he sounds. His letter is a clarion call for right living and bold faith. As with Jesus, it’s this boldness that demands respect.

Here is a list of the major themes that James sequentially drives home with this authoritative writing style:

• Perseverance during times of testing (James 1:2–4, 1:12, 5:7–11)
• Wisdom for living right (James 1:5, 3:13–18)
• Faith applied in action and prayer (James 1:6–8, 1:27, 2:14–26, 5:14–18)
• Controlling the tongue (James 1:19–21, 1:26, 3:1–12, 4:11–12, 5:12)
• The injustice of wealth and poverty (James 1:9–11, 2:1–7, 5:1–6)
• Overcoming temptation (James 1:12–15, 4:1–9, 4:17, 5:16)
• The need for humility (James 1:21, 3:13, 4:6–10)
• Obeying God’s word (James 1:22–25, 2:8–13)
• The Lord’s return and eternal judgement (James 1:12, 2:12–13, 4:11–12, 5:7–9)
• Repentance and confession (James 4:7–9, 5:16)
• God’s opposition to pride and boasting (James 4:6, 4:13–17)

Some of these themes overlap and are interconnected as James builds his argument for right living by putting practical Christian faith into action. As he addresses each theme, this master carpenter is building a house on the solid rock of Christ’s teachings (Matthew 7:24–27).

Many commentators on the Epistle of James have noted a striking similarity in the style and content of this epistle and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In particular, the epistle reflects the values set forth in the Be-atitudes.

Adding credence to this position, Tasker provides us with this observation:

The authorship of James the brother of the Lord is not only consonant with the note of authority which sounds throughout the epistle, and with the possible echoes of the speech of James at the council of Jerusalem, but also with the extent to which the writer has obviously been profoundly impressed by the teaching of Jesus as we know it today in the Sermon on the Mount. (1)

An author—any author—begins with a blank page, but what he chooses to write reflects his character and the thinking and values that occupy his mind. Keeping this statement in mind, why did James choose to focus on the major themes that he selected for his epistle?

It appears that he chose these themes because they were at the heart of Jesus’ teachings. As Tasker states, in his thinking James was “profoundly impressed by the teaching of Jesus.” Every aspect of his epistle reflects this.

Why does James identify himself with the poor and heap condemnation on the rich? Because Jesus did just that. The first Beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Throughout his ministry, Jesus identified with the poor and took a skewer to the rich and powerful. His story of the rich man and Lazarus is a fine example of this (Luke 16:19–31).

Jesus heals a demon possessed boy.

James’ attack on the excesses and injustice of the wealthy in James 5:1-6 bears a remarkable resemblance to Jesus’ attack on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Matthew 23. The tone is virtually identical. None of the other New Testament writers take such a direct and confrontational approach. Furthermore, it is hard to ignore the current relevance of James’ words. With the world economy dominated and controlled by oligarchs and corporate greed, James pens an indictment worthy of his older brother.

Why does James define faith as he does? Why is his definition linked with actions Again, Jesus defined faith in terms of actions or deeds. In every instance where Jesus called for faith, he was not expecting mere intellectual acknowledgement. For Jesus faith is directly linked to words and actions.

When the tax collector Zacchaeus repents, Jesus declares, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9). He makes this statement after Zacchaeus announces, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). For Jesus faith, deeds, and salvation form a seamless whole.

The Pauline approach to faith, deeds, and salvation is quite different. Faith, deeds, and salvation are treated as separate entities or components of a believer’s life experience. For Jesus and James these form a single package. For these brothers, faith, deeds, and salvation are integral to one another.

For both James and Jesus, active faith is not only called for but expected. Jesus repeatedly upbraided his disciples for their lack of faith. James exhibits the same character trait. He has the same high expectation of his readers.

But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all. (James 1:6–8, CEV)

The words of James on this topic run parallel to the words of Jesus:

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)

There is no room for doubt in the brothers’ approach to faith. They demand a full throttle commitment. James asserts, “The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up” (James 5:15). There is no hesitation or equivocating in that statement. Faith will bring results. Bold, audacious faith brought results in Jesus’ ministry—and James leaves no room for doubt that a similar application of faith brought the same results in his own ministry. Furthermore, he expects results from his readers as they exercise their faith by heeding his words.

Jesus heals a paralytic (Mark 2:1-12).

But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all. (James 1:6–8, CEV)

The words of James on this topic run parallel to the words of Jesus:

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)

There is no room for doubt in the brothers’ approach to faith. They demand a full throttle commitment. James asserts, “The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up” (James 5:15). There is no hesitation or equivocating in that statement. Faith will bring results. Bold, audacious faith brought results in Jesus’ ministry—and James leaves no room for doubt that a similar application of faith brought the same results in his own ministry. Furthermore, he expects results from his readers as they exercise their faith by heeding his words.

Words—yes, words—are at the very core of faith and life for these two men. The power of the tongue for good or evil is central to the Epistle of James. Perhaps no author has harnessed the written word quite as effectively as James in describing the havoc inflicted by the tongue. (See James 3:1–12.)

In his condemnation of the restless tongue, James was simply reflecting the words and thoughts of his brother:

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. (Matthew 12:34–35)

Again, this theme of the power of the tongue is central to James’ epistle because it was central to Jesus’ ministry. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insisted that his followers not swear oaths. He taught, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:33–37). James essentially repeats the same admonition in James 5:12.

This profound emphasis on the spoken word is only fitting, since according to the scriptures Jesus is the living Word. He is the Word—the spoken Word—by which the heavens and the earth were formed (John 1:1-5). In his earthly ministry, he brought sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and health to the crippled body with a word. With his words he brought forgiveness and spiritual rebirth.

James affirms that the born-again experience comes through the word: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created” (James 1:18).

It’s the power of the “word of truth” that James is lifting up throughout his epistle. He does that most effectively by systematically focusing on the core teachings of Jesus, as recorded in the Sermon on the Mount.

How can the “word of truth” be exalted by believers who have a careless or malicious tongue? That would be impossible, so James methodically builds his case for self-control of that most unruly member of the body.

On the flip side, though the tongue can be destructive, it also has creative power when it comes under the influence of God. As James points out, the prayer of faith can heal the sick. In addition, he states, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). It logically follows that when that most unruly member is tamed and harnessed by the Lord, great things are possible.

So then, if Jesus sent a letter to the church, how would that epistle read? There are many reasons to believe such an epistle would sound a lot like the Epistle of James. This would be so because James patterned his letter on the teachings of Jesus, and because James understood and knew his brother intimately, like no other man.

The voice and tone of Jesus are heard throughout this epistle because when the resurrected Christ broke through to the stubborn heart of James, the transformation made James even more like his brother. The brothers sound alike, because they are alike.

With his conversion James took on the character of Christ. Through his epistle he urges us to do the same.

(1) Tasker, The General Epistle of James, p. 28.

New from David Kitz

James—the brother of Jesus—who was this man? What evidence do we have that this “brother of our Lord” even existed?

David Kitz digs deep into archeology, family dynamics, church history, and the biblical texts. What emerges from his research is a portrait of a decisive, pivotal leader who embodied the will and character of Jesus Christ.

But how did James—James the unbeliever—transform to become a leader who changed the course of world history? In these pages you will uncover the answer and rediscover for yourself the life-changing power of the gospel.

To view further details or purchase directly from the author click here.

 

The Son of Man You Have Raised Up

11 Saturday Jul 2026

Posted by in Psalm 80, Psalms

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Listen to Psalm 80:8-19 read by Jonathan Dent

Reading: Psalm 80:8-19 (NIV)*

You transplanted a vine from Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
Its branches reached as far as the Sea, its shoots as far as the River.

Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
Boars from the forest ravage it,
and insects from the fields feed on it.
Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see!
Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted,
the son you have raised up for yourself.

Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
at your rebuke your people perish.
Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
Then we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.

Restore us, LORD God Almighty;
make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Response

LORD God, on so many levels our nation is in a mess. We need a Savior to emerge. Jesus, you are the great Son of Man. You are our Savior. I turn my heart to you. Govern my thoughts and my actions every day. Holy Spirit come and turn our hearts toward you. Amen.

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

bgbg_v4.3_1501818
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

Pray for peace in Israel, Iran and the Middle East
and continue to pray for peace to return to Ukraine and Russia!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II


Take a journey to the cross.


To view further details or purchase click here.

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica