Day 266: Son of the Father (2026)

Fr. Mike Schmitz (0:01)

We can't lose our faith the way we lose our car keys. We either give it away or we let it decay because we don't use it. Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz. And in my new book, Unshakeable, Building a Life of Virtue in a World of Chaos, I tell faith-filled stories that inspire you to live a life of virtue that flows from the unshakeable power of God. Although we're surrounded by a culture that mocks virtue, we can feed ourselves stories that really do uphold what is good and promote a virtuous life. When we live this way, we experience freedom and joy like never before. It's my prayer that the stories in my book, Unshakeable, will inspire you to fight the battle for a virtuous life and win through trust in an unshakeable God. Order your copy at ascensionpress.com.

Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz and you're listening to The Bible in a Year Podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year Podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds. And I'll weave it into that story today. It is day 266 and you know what that means. That means that you are now in the double digits to go. So I mean, I did the math earlier today and I crunched the numbers and it turns out there's 99 days left, just like yesterday, there was 100 But now I think it's significant to say you have less than triple digits. It's now double digits, which is, I don't know, well done. We're reading today Matthew 27 and 28, the conclusion of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, as well as Proverbs 19 verses 25 through 29 As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast, receive daily episodes and updates. As I said, today is the last day of the Messianic Checkpoint, the Gospel of Matthew. Tomorrow, we're moving on to the return. So we had so much time in the exile. We had so much time reading through not only the story of the exile, but then the prophets in exile that we are having the return coming soon. So tomorrow, you would know this if you had the Bible in a Year reading plan. But we're starting with Ezra and then the Prophet Haggai. And after Ezra, there's Zechariah and there's Nehemiah and there's Esther. All those stories, we're very excited. That starts tomorrow. Today is Day 266 We're reading Matthew 27 and 28, Proverbs 19 verses 25 through 29

The Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 27 Jesus brought before Pilate. When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him to Pilate the governor.

Judas hangs himself. When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. They said, What is that to us? See to it yourself. And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury since they are blood money. So they took council, and bought with them the potter's field to bury strangers in. Therefore, that field has been called the field of blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.

Pilate questions Jesus. Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus said to him, You have said so. But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear how many things they testify against you? But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor wondered greatly.

Barabbas or Jesus?

Now at the feast, the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ? For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream. Now, the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, Which of the two do you want me to release for you? And they said, Barabbas. Pilate said to them, Then what shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ? They all said, Let him be crucified. And he said, Why, what evil has he done? But they shouted all the more, Let him be crucified.