TUESDAY

I’m easily distracted. Maybe it’s due to living in a world of constantly updating social media, newsfeeds, blogs, and Facebook. For me, focus is a perpetual challenge.

In fact, if it is true (as I was told years ago) that the main thing in life is to keep the main thing the main thing, then I am clearly struggling with the main thing.

According to the author of the book of Hebrews, Jesus knew every temptation we will ever face (2:18), which means that He may well have been tempted to lose focus on the main thing. Unlike me, Jesus never lost focus - even when constantly bombarded with the attempts of enemies to derail Him.

On His final Tuesday, scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and others tried to trip Him up with tricky questions. He remained fixed. Tuesday was the busiest day of the last week of Jesus’ life. He goes hard from very early until very late and much of His Tuesday activity took place in the Temple.

Sandwiched in between intense confrontations with religious leaders and His final scathing indictment of them for hypocrisy (see Matthew 23) is one of the most touching scenes of His life.

From the far side of the Court of the Women, Jesus watched as a “poor widow” gave a tiny amount of money as an offering at the Temple in Jerusalem.

After watching her, He showcased this woman’s generosity, telling His disciples that she “put in more” than all the other wealthier people who gave that day because she gave sacrificially. (See Mark 12:38-40; Luke 21:1-4)

Sacrifice.

Jesus was especially focused on sacrifice on Tuesday, knowing that His own sacrifice on a Roman cross was only seventy hours away. On this Tuesday we worship our self-sacrificing Savior.