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Audible TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 1; Psalms 84–85; Luke 7 One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided...
Key Takeaways
- In Ezra 1, King Cyrus announces that God's people may return to Jerusalem from exile, mirroring the spiritual journey of moving from shame into the freedom of God's love.
- Psalm 84 and Psalm 85 illustrate the deep human longing to be home in the presence of God, where unfailing love, truth, righteousness, and peace meet.
- In Luke 7, Jesus looks past the labels and past failures of the sinful woman to see a beloved daughter worthy of receiving, defending, and restoring.
- True forgiveness is not something we extract from a reluctant God, but rather the heart we discover when we authentically encounter Jesus.
- Jesus invites every believer to step out of past mistakes and go in peace, embracing the new song of forgiveness, faith, and freedom.
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- TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 1; Psalms 84–85; Luke 7
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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.
TODAY’S EPISODE
Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 24th, and our readings are Ezra 1, Psalms 84 and 85, and Luke 7.
Ezra begins with an unexpected announcement.
God's people have lived in exile, far from home, but now Cyrus, king of Persia, announces that they may return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.
After years of displacement, the journey home begins.
Psalm 84 gives voice to that longing:
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven's Armies.”
The psalmist longs to be home in the presence of God.
Then Psalm 85 gives us another beautiful picture of restoration. Unfailing love and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace kiss.
And then we come to Luke 7.
Jesus encounters a Roman officer whose faith amazes him. He meets a grieving widow and restores her son to life. He reassures John the Baptist that God's kingdom really is breaking into the world.
And finally, Jesus sits at a table where an unexpected guest arrives.
A woman known in the community as a sinner kneels at his feet.
She weeps.
She washes his feet with her tears.
She dries them with her hair.
And she pours perfume over them.
Everyone in the room seems to know who this woman is.
But Jesus sees her differently.
He sees love.
He sees faith.
He sees a daughter who has been forgiven.
And he tells her:
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
That's where today's readings seem to bring us.
Out of exile.
Toward home.
Out of shame.
Into peace.
God is singing a new song over his people.
And we are invited to sing along.
TODAY’S DEVOTION
Go in Peace
Everybody knew who she was.
At least they thought they did.
Luke tells us that a woman from the city heard that Jesus was eating at the home of Simon the Pharisee.
And Luke tells us that she was a sinful woman.
That's her introduction.
That's her label.
That's apparently what everybody knows about her.
She enters the house carrying a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume.
And then she kneels behind Jesus at his feet.
She begins to weep.
Her tears fall on his feet.
She wipes them with her hair.
She kisses his feet.
And she pours perfume over them.
It's an extraordinary scene.
And Simon watches all of this.
But Simon doesn't really see her.
He sees her label.
He thinks to himself that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman was touching him.
But Jesus does know.
He knows exactly who is touching him.
And he sees something Simon cannot see.
He sees her.
Not merely her past.
Not merely her failures.
Not merely the story the town has told about her.
He sees her.
And I think that's beautiful.
Because shame has a way of convincing us that the worst thing about us is the truest thing about us.
Shame says:
That's who you are.
Your failure is who you are.
Your mistake is who you are.
Your addiction is who you are.
Your divorce is who you are.
Your past is who you are.
Whatever people have whispered about you, that's who you are.
But Jesus doesn't see us that way.
He sees deeper.
He sees a beloved child.
He sees the image of God.
He sees someone worth receiving.
Someone worth defending.
Someone worth restoring.
And then Jesus says something remarkable.
He turns toward the woman and speaks to Simon.
“Do you see this woman?”
That's the question.
Do you see her?
Simon sees a category.
Jesus sees a person.
Simon sees contamination.
Jesus sees love.
Simon sees someone who doesn't belong at the table.
Jesus sees someone who has already found her way home.
And perhaps that's what forgiveness really is.
It's coming home.
Ezra begins today with exiles being told that they can go home.
The long exile is ending.
And Luke ends with another exile ending.
A woman who has been living beneath the weight of shame hears Jesus say:
“Your sins are forgiven.”
And then:
“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Go in peace.
Not go in shame.
Not go and spend the rest of your life trying to make up for everything you've done.
Not go and prove that you're worthy.
Go in peace.
Because forgiveness isn't something she has managed to extract from a reluctant God.
Forgiveness is the heart she discovers when she encounters Jesus.
And maybe some of us need to hear that today.
Maybe you've been carrying a name that Jesus never gave you.
Failure.
Unworthy.
Unclean.
Rejected.
Too much.
Not enough.
Maybe you've spent years imagining that God looks at you the way Simon looked at this woman.
But Jesus shows us the Father's face.
And Jesus looks at her with love.
He receives her.
He defends her.
He restores her.
And he sends her away in peace.
That's the new song.
The exile is ending.
You're being called home.
You are forgiven.
You are loved.
You belong.
Go in peace.
That's the prayer I have for my own soul.
That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.
And that's the prayer I have for you.
May we hear the voice of Jesus calling us out of shame and into the freedom of his love.
And may we go in peace.
May it be so.
TODAY'S PRAYERS:
Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.
Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen
And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Bible passages are covered in the September 24th episode of Daily Radio Bible?
This episode covers readings from Ezra 1, Psalms 84 and 85, and Luke 7, focusing heavily on themes of homecoming, restoration, and forgiveness, faith, and freedom.
How does Jesus respond to the sinful woman in Luke 7?
Unlike Simon the Pharisee, who only saw the woman's past labels and failures, Jesus looked past her sins to see her love and faith, ultimately telling her that her faith had saved her and sending her away in peace.
What is the primary spiritual theme of the devotion on forgiveness, faith, and freedom?
The devotion emphasizes that shame often convinces us our worst mistakes define us, but Jesus calls us out of shame and into the freedom of his unconditional love and peace.
