Saturday Devotional
Main Text: Matthew 26:62-66
Think about the last time you made a mistake, and tried to keep it from being revealed. Perhaps you told a lie that got out of hand, or manipulated a situation to make yourself look better than others. In the final analysis, it has always been characteristic of sinners to conceal personal errors, and to do whatever it takes to look favorable in the public light (Psalm 116:11; Romans 3:4). As seen from the Gospels, this pattern of behavior was regularly demonstrated by the religious leaders in Israel.
For over three years, the majority of Jews refused to acknowledge that Jesus was who He claimed to be (John 6:59-66; 8:12-59). Countless people dismissed the authority of Christ’s teachings (Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8), attributed His miracles to the power of Satan (Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:22-30), and rejected any claims that Jesus was God’s Messiah (Matthew 26:60-68; Mark 14:60-64; Luke 22:66-71). On the other hand, Jesus repeatedly and publicly unveiled the self-righteousness that had crept into first century Judaism (Matthew 23:1-36; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 20:45-47). Being exposed as ungodly false teachers infuriated the Jews so much that they were willing to see Jesus and His followers removed from society at all costs (John 9:18-23). We see an attempt by the Jewish religious leaders to do just that on the Saturday of Holy Week (Matthew 27:62-66).
After the Pharisees and Sadducees did their part to put Christ through multiple unjust trials, and to have Him executed by the Romans, they created a plan to ensure that Jesus’ body remained in the tomb (Matthew 27:63-64). It is difficult to conceive of a scenario where human hearts could be any more hardened (John 12:37-43). Under no circumstances would the religious leaders of Israel admit their faults to this point, or consider the consequences of their actions if Christ did rise from the dead. Yet try as they may, God’s plan of redemption would not be frustrated. Sunday was coming, and King Jesus would have the final victory over sin, Satan, and death (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)! As always, God would be proven true!
Dewey is a licensed and ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is happily married to Beall, and is a proud father of Isabelle Ruth. Dewey played college baseball at Western Texas College, receiving the Associate of Arts degree in General Studies. Following his time at Western Texas College, Dewey would continue as a student-athlete at The Master’s University, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministries. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, Dewey went on to acquire the Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from The Master’s University, as well as the Master of Theology degree in Historical Theology from Campbellsville University. Dewey is currently a doctoral student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with an emphasis in Christian Worldview and Apologetics. Over the last decade, Dewey has served local churches in a variety of ways, focusing on next generation ministries. He has experience teaching children in AWANA, serving as youth pastor, as well as leading college students and young adults. He is also passionate about personal evangelism, and has led groups in gospel outreaches in cities around the country. To strengthen his service to the church, and in conjunction with his seminary studies, Dewey has participated in several academic fellowships and cohorts. He specializes in the disciplines of apologetics, biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology. Dewey is also actively involved with Covenant Confessions—a ministry of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Today, Dewey serves as the Associate Pastor of Next Generation and Outreach at Metro East Baptist Church (Wichita, Kansas).
You can follow Dewey on Twitter @SlaveofChrist17
