Archive | October 2024

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 292

Oct19

  Day 292—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 292 – Matthew 15, Mark 7 (traditions VS commands, defilement, woman’s daughter, healings, 4K fed)

In both Matthew 15 and Mark 7, the religious leaders object to Jesus’ disciples breaking “the traditions of the elders” by not washing their hands (in a ceremonial way) before eating and so defiling themselves.

Jesus comes right back with the question, “Why do YOU break GOD’s commandment for the sake of “your traditions?”  He explained that they broke the 5th Commandment about Honoring Parents by stealing the financial support they should be giving them and instead “dedicating it to God.” (And probably getting a tax break?)  HYPOCRITES! Jesus called them.  And Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13.

          “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

Then Jesus calls the larger crowd around him and explains what it is that does defile a person.  It’s what comes out of their mouths. 

He further explains to His disciples that what is in a person’s heart — (evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, coveting, wickedness, deceit, envy, pride, foolishness, false witness, and slander) — when it comes out of the mouth in words, well, THAT is what defiles a person.   “Eating with ceremonially unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

 

Jesus and his disciples then withdrew to the districts of Tyre and Sidon (north of Israel) because He wanted some time alone with them.  But a gentile woman came to him and cried out desperately.

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon!”

Testing her, Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.“  

“Lord, help me!” she said, kneeling before Him.

“It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” Jesus said, again testing her.

She boldly answered, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

“O woman, great is your faith!”  Jesus said,  “Be it done for you as you desire.”  And the daughter was healed instantly.

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After that, Jesus was totally cheered by the woman’s faith (a gentile at that), and went back to Galilee. There, He healed the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others.  One man in particular (Luke) was deaf and mute.  Jesus took him aside privately, put his fingers in his ears, and touched his tongue. He looked to heaven, sighed, and said to the man, BE OPENED. The man’s ears were opened, and his tongue was released. 

The people, astonished beyond measure, said, “Glory be to the God of Israel. He has done all things well.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 291

Oct18

  Day 291—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 291 – John 6 (Another recount of 5,000 fed and walking on water, the Bread of Life discourse, believing in Him, Peter’s proclamation.)

John 6. This chapter covers a lot. The first part is about and adds some details to the feeding of the 5,000 (it was near Passover; they sat on grass; the crowd wanted to make him king) and Jesus walking on water (immediately the boat was at land).

THE NEXT DAY, Jesus teaches one of His most difficult discourses on the BREAD OF LIFE. The crowds He’d fed so handily now rush around the lake to confront Him again.

“Rabbi, how did you get here?”  (Um, I walked on water, then got into a boat that came instantly to shore.)

“You all are seeking me for the miracles and the loaves,” Jesus says. “Don’t work for the food that perishes, but the food that endures to eternal life, which I will give you.”

“What must we DO to be doing the WORKS of God?”

“The WORK OF GOD is to believe in Him whom He has sent.”

“What sign do you do that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?”  (Duh, what about the free bread/fish they got yesterday and all the miracle healings?)  “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. He gave them bread from heaven.”

“It was NOT MOSES who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father. And He gives you the TRUE Bread from Heaven that gives life to the world.”

YAY!!!  “Sir, give us this bread always!!”

“I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.  You’ve seen me, but you won’t believe it.”

And Jesus tells them that EVERYONE the Father gives Him will come to Him.  He has come down from heaven to do His Father’s will, and He will lose no one that the Father gives him. And “THIS is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 

Grumble, grumble, grumble. “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose mom and dad we know?  How can you say you come down from heaven???”

Jesus tells them not to grumble but to face the facts. No one can come to Him unless the Father draws them.  He is the bread of life. Their fathers ate manna, but they died.  Those who eat the LIVING BREAD will live forever.  “And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

What????

“Yes, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. For my flesh is TRUE FOOD, and my blood is TRUE DRINK.  If you eat and drink this, you will ABIDE IN ME AND I IN YOU.

This was WAY TOO MUCH for those Kosher Jews, and they left Him. Many of his followers also turned back and no longer walked with Him. 

“Do YOU twelve want to go away as well?” Jesus asked them.

“Lord, to whom shall we go?  YOU have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to KNOW that you are the Holy One of God,”  said Peter.  (YES! Amen, Peter.)

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NOTE:  Jesus was teaching in an analogy that had SPIRITUAL rather than LITERAL meaning.  Just as eating and drinking are necessary for physical life, so is belief in His sacrificial death on the cross necessary for eternal life.  The eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood metaphorically symbolize the need for accepting Jesus’ work on the cross.  To the Jews, a crucified Messiah was UNTHINKABLE. And they could not see the absolute spiritual truth behind Jesus’ statements.

PS: Jesus is not speaking here of communion. That ordinance does NOT teach that communicants would receive eternal life.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 290

Oct17

  Day 290—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 290 – Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 (John the Baptist killed, 5000 fed, walks on water, transfiguration)

Matthew 14.  Herod Antipas, one of Herod the Great’s sons, is ruling in Galilee. He stole his brother Phillip’s wife, Herodias, for himself, and John the Baptist condemned him.  Now, he’s having nightmares because he hears about Jesus preaching and doing miracles. He wonders if He could be the Baptist reincarnated!!

GUILTY CONSCIENCE!  For, at Herodias’s request, the king had beheaded John. It was at a big birthday party when his scantily-clothed stepdaughter danced, and he foolishly offered her a wish. Herodias told her to ask for the prophet’s head on a platter, and it was done. Herod was very sorry afterward, but “his word” and all that.  Now, this deed haunted Herod.

John’s disciples buried his body and told Jesus.  When Jesus heard, he withdrew in a boat to a desolate place (to grieve and pray?). John had been the one to introduce Him, who’d prepared His way, said He was the Lamb of God, pointed his own disciples to Jesus, and baptized Him.

But when Jesus came ashore, a vast crowd met him with their own needs. With compassion, Jesus healed and taught them, and when evening approached, He told his disciples to feed them.

“Say what? There’s…. fifteen thousand people here with the women and kids!”

“Tell them to sit in groups and bring that young boy to me. The one with the lunch bag.”

Jesus took the five rolls and two dried fish the boy offered, thanked God, and fed the multitude. Afterward, the disciples each got a take-home basket. Jesus dismissed the satisfied crowd and sent His men into the boat to go home. He remained to grieve for His cousin and pray to His Father.

Around midnight, Jesus “saw” His disciples struggling in a storm on the lake.  He went to them, walking on the water. (Was it fun?)  They thought they were seeing a ghost!

“Don’t fear, it’s just Me.”

“If it IS you, Lord, command me to come to you on the water.

“Come.”

And Peter walked on the water with Jesus until he looked down at the waves and started to sink.  Jesus quickly grabbed his hand.  “Why did you doubt?”  When they both were back into the boat, the wind ceased.  “You are truly the Son of God.” they cried in awe.

Back on the other side, another crowd recognized and rushed to Him, bringing their sick and begging to touch the fringe of His garment.  And as many as did so were healed.

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Mark 6.  Mark tells again about the beheading of the Baptist, Jesus feeding the great multitude with the boy’s lunch, His coming to them in the storm by walking atop the water, and the incredible healing of a crowd that only touched the tassels of his garment.

He also retells the incident when Jesus first went into the synagogue, read the scroll, and claimed to be the One Isaiah was writing about. Of course, they took offense. “He marveled because of their unbelief.”

He also adds a note to Matthew’s account (Matt. 10) that the Twelve who went out proclaimed that people should repent, cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil so they were healed.

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Luke 9.  Luke also recounts Jesus sending out the Twelve, giving them POWER and AUTHORITY over demons and diseases.

He also recounts Herod’s confusion over John and the feeding of the 5,000.  Then he tells of another time when they were with Jesus, but Jesus had been praying alone.

Jesus suddenly asks them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

“John the Baptist.”

“Elijah.”

“One of the other prophets that has risen.”

“But who do YOU say I am,” Jesus asked.

Peter answered boldly, “The Christ of God.”

“Tell this to no one,” Jesus warned. “The Son of Man must first suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

EIGHT DAYS LATER, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on another mountain to pray.  And there He was TRANSFIGURED.  The appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And with Him, Moses and Elijah appeared, talking about the very same “departure” in Jerusalem that He’d just told the disciples about.

Peter, James, and John found themselves flat on their faces on the ground, unconscious.  Peter awoke, saw Moses and Elijah leaving, and said, “Master, it’s great that we are here. Let’s make three tents, one for you, Moses, and Elijah—-“.

Then came a voice from heaven. (Shut up, Peter.)  “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to HIM!”  No one said anything as they made their way back down the mountain.

Down at the bottom, his other disciples struggled to heal a boy with convulsions.  Jesus stepped up and healed him. And, all were astonished at the majesty of God.

While they were still marveling at everything, Jesus said, “Let these words sink into your ears. The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” 

Huh?

LATER, they argued who was the greatest among them (Did the Transfiguration Three start that??), and Jesus had to scold them

LATER AGAIN, they tried to stop someone who was casting out demons, saying that he wasn’t ALLOWED TO because he wasn’t in their group.  Again, Jesus scolded them.

STILL LATER, they wanted to call down fire from heaven on a village of Samaritans because they didn’t welcome Jesus.  This time, Jesus REBUKED them.

(I wonder if this is how Jesus feels about ME sometimes.)

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 289

Oct16

yu  Day 289—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 289 – Matthew 10 (twelve sent out, persecution warnings, swords & rewards)

Matthew 10. Jesus’ disciples have been with Him for a while, watching and learning from Him. It’s now time for them to practice what they’ve learned. After all, Jesus will be with them for only a little more than three years.

So, Jesus calls them to himself and gives them AUTHORITY over unclean spirits and diseases.  He tells them to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons….just as He has been showing them by example.  (These miracles will authenticate their message.)

Matthew names the disciples (learners) and then calls them apostles (messengers or representatives). (Here, he even identifies himself as Matthew the tax collector.) Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew (Nathaniel), Thomas, James #2, Thaddaeus, Simon #2, and Judas Iscariot.

He tells the Twelve to go only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Time will come later when they are sent to the uttermost parts of the world.)  They are to proclaim, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  They are to preach freely without pay, for THEY have been given the message free of charge. They should not take money for the journey or extra clothes, shoes, or staff.  These will be provided for them by the “worthy” people who receive them (as some have received Jesus) and offer hospitality.

Jesus also warns them of persecution. He has already experienced some at the hands of the religious leaders. As He has, so will they. He says they are like sheep among wolves and to be WISE as serpents but INNOCENT as doves.

He tells the twelve that (and this is probably directed to a later time) they will be flogged and brought before courts, governors, and kings for preaching Him to Jews AND Gentiles.  But they aren’t to worry, for the Holy Spirit will give them the words to say (such as in Acts) and the strength to persevere.

They are to love Him supremely, even ahead of family, for, later, children and parents will turn against each other and have the other put to death for their testimony. Jesus tells them their worst enemies will rise from their own households. “They called me Beelzebub. How much more will they malign you.”  

But they are NOT TO FEAR persecution or even death. The persecutors can kill only the body. But fear God, who can put body and soul to everlasting death in hell.   He tells them their Father is aware of a sparrow dying, and that they are so much more loved than birds.  Their very hairs are numbered.

They are to be confident that if they acknowledge Him among the world, He will acknowledge them before the Father in heaven.  If they find their “life” at the expense of loving Him, they will lose it. But losing it for His sake guarantees they will have (eternal) life.

There are REWARDS for those who receive them as His representatives. Even if one gives a water bottle to a Gospel preacher on a corner in the midday heat – because they are a disciple of Jesus – they will receive a reward.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 288

Oct15

  Day 288—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 288 – Mark 4 – 5 (Parables, storm calmed, healings)

These chapters in Mark review what we have already read but with his own slant. The first is the parable of the Sower and Seeds. Then, when Jesus was alone with His disciples, He explained the meaning. “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything is in parables.”

(When someone persists in unbelief, giving them more “light” only increases their guilt.) Nothing is hidden or secret to the one who genuinely desires to understand. “Pay attention to what you hear;  with the measure you use (to hear/understand), it will be measured to you, and still more will be added. 

When the Word is scattered around, like seeds on the ground, it sprouts and grows.  We don’t know how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, the ear, and then the full grain.  1 Peter 1:23 calls the Word of God that enters a person’s heart “the imperishable seed.” God gives life to seeds and the Word in a person, bringing them to full fruit. It’s a mystery, but Praise God.

After teaching the crowds and His disciples about the “imperishable” seed all day, evening came. Jesus decided to leave the crowd, get into a boat, and cross to the other side of Galilee.  While out on the water, a great windstorm arose, and the waves broke INTO the boat, and it began to fill with water.

Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. Panicked, they shook him awake, saying, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?” Jesus awoke, rebuked the wind, and told the sea to “be still.”  And, of course, the creation immediately obeyed its Creator.  Jesus then looked at His amazed disciples and smiled at them. As if to little children, he asked them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”  The disciples stared at him, mouths agape with fear.  WHO IS THIS, that even the wind and sea obey Him?

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On the other side, Jesus delivers the man with 2,000 demons, sending the evil creatures into pigs. The man who formerly roamed the graveyard and broke any chain that bound him is now sane and asks to follow Jesus.  Jesus, instead, tells him to go back into his town and become a witness of his salvation.

Back on the west side of the sea, Jesus heals the woman with the issue of blood and raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead. 

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 286 and 287

Oct14

    Day 286 and 287—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

NOTE:  Both Sunday and Monday studies are posted on MONDAY.

    Day 286 – Luke 11 (Prayer, short teachings, woes)

Luke gives a shorter version of the “Lord’s Prayer.” He had been praying, and His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.

Worship God! Align yourself with His kingdom. Ask for your needs. Confess and ask for forgiveness as you practice forgiveness to others. Ask for His protection from temptation.

Jesus illustrates persistence in prayer with a story. A friend asked a neighbor for food for a surprise visitor in the middle of the night. The neighbor was in bed, but because the friend kept asking and didn’t go away, the neighbor got up and got it for him.  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you. If you give your kids good gifts, how much more will YOUR heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.”

Again, they accuse Him of delivering a man from demons by the power of the devil. He reminds them of the uselessness of that.  He briefly illustrates this with a story of a strong man guarding his house, but a stronger man overcomes him.  He warns them that when a false exorcist drives out unclean spirits, more will return to the person. It takes the Holy Spirit’s power to truly free the person.

“Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts which nursed you!” cries a woman. “No, rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it,” Jesus replies.

Jesus reminds them of Jonah and Nineveh again, condemning them for always seeing a sign. They had been given enough information to believe and repent, but they would not. Nineveh will judge and condemn them, for THEY repented with much less truth preached to them.

Then Jesus lashes out at the religious leaders with a series of “woes” or curses.  He says they are fools to keep themselves outwardly clean when their hearts are full of greed and wickedness.

WOE to Pharisees tithing herbs but neglecting justice and love for God.

WOE because they LOVE the best positions and the admiration of others.  They are like graves that people walk over and don’t realize.

WOE to the Lawyers (Scribes) for loading the people with burdens they don’t carry. They build memorial tombs for the prophets and in doing so, agree with their ancestors in KILLING these men.  The blood of all the prophets (from righteous Abel to Zechariah), shed until this day, is charged against this generation.

WOE to the Lawyers (Scribes) who have taken away the key to knowledge, hindering others from entering, and not entering themselves.

“And as He went away, the Scribes and Pharisees began to press Him hard and provoke Him to speak about many things, lying in wait for Him, to catch Him in something He might say.”

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    Day 287. – Matthew 13, Luke 8 (parables, their purposes & explanations, healings)

In these chapters, Jesus tells several parables and says “why” He is not talking plainly to the people now. He explains two parables to His disciples so they can get an idea of how they work so they will understand the rest.

Luke tells us that there were also women who followed Jesus besides the twelve disciples. These are mentioned: Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager (I wonder how she heard Jesus and first believed in Him.); Susanna, and many others. These women provided for Jesus and the disciples (who had left their jobs to follow Him) out of their own means.  

Great crowds were gathering around Jesus, and he taught them.  At first, He sat down by the sea to teach them, but they pressed closer, so He had to get into a boat and push out a little way into the water, the whole crowd standing on the beach to hear Him.

He told them many parables, such as the one about a farmer sowing seeds. The seeds fell in four places; along the path where the birds came and ate them, on rocky ground where they had no root and quickly withered, among thorns which grew up and choked them out, and finally on good soil where they grew and produced lots of grain.

Later, the disciples asked Jesus why He was now teaching the people in parables, whereas before (as in the Sermon on the Mount), He had taught them plainly. Jesus responded with a hard-to-understand answer. 

“To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been given. For, to one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what little he has will be taken away. THIS is why I speak to them in parables. It’s because seeing they do not SEE, and hearing they do not HEAR, nor do they understand.”  

Jesus said this fulfilled the Isaiah 6:9-10 prophecy where Isaiah volunteered to go and tell the Message God had for His people but was reminded that they would not listen.  “Blessed are YOUR eyes,” Jesus said to the disciples, “for they see, and YOUR ears, for they hear,” Then he told them the meaning of the Four Soils parable.

The SEED is the word of the kingdom sown among the people. The birds represent the devil who comes and immediately takes away the message.  The people (seed) on rocky ground develop no roots in the Gospel. When tribulation or persecution comes, they fall away.  Seeds that fall among thorns are people who gladly hear the message, but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the pleasures of the world choke that joy and the message, and they prove unfruitful.  BUT THE SEED THAT LANDS ON GOOD SOIL is the one who hears the word, understands it, and is fruitful. 

Jesus then tells the parable of the Weeds sowed among Good Seed by an enemy of the Kingdom.  The master says to let the weeds grow because, if they are pulled up too soon, it will damage the good plants.  So, at harvest, both are gathered.  The good seed goes into the barn. The weeds are burned. 

Again, the disciples ask Jesus to explain this parable.  “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the children of the Kingdom; and the weeds are the children of the evil one.  The enemy is the devil.  Both are left to grow until harvest when the angels reap. They will pull out all causes of sin and law-breaking and throw them into the fire.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun.”

Jesus tells parables about finding precious things like treasure and a giant pearl. The one who finds them gives up all they have to possess them.  

The Parable of the Net tells the story of a fishing net that represents the Kingdom. It is thrown into the sea and gathers all kinds of fish. On shore, the fishermen sort the fish, throwing away the rotten fish and keeping the good.  “So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace.”

Jesus asked His disciples if they understood all those things. They said, “Yes.” Jesus then tells them His new teaching was to be understood in light of the old truths, and vice versa.

He also tells them, “No one, after lighting a lamp, covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, no is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.  Take care then HOW you hear.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 285

Oct12

    Day 285—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 285 – Matthew 11 (Jesus’ message to the Baptist, unrepentant cities, Jesus’ yoke)

John the Baptist has been put in prison by Herod for his constant rebuke of him for stealing his brother’s wife. (Herod enjoys the occasional talk with the Baptist, but John will soon be beheaded at the instigation of Herod’s wife.)

Meanwhile, he wonders if Jesus is the Messiah he had announced to the world. Where was the overthrow of the Roman government and the restoration of Israel? John sends his disciples with the question. And Jesus answers him with both words and actions.

John’s disciples witness a flurry of healings of all kinds by Jesus.  Then Jesus says, “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”  Jesus knows John will recognize the passage about the coming Messiah from Isaiah 35:5-6.

After John’s disciples leave, Jesus tells the crowds, “Among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. (John had seen with his own eyes what the OT prophets prophesied about and longed to see.) Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Any believer after the cross has seen the fulfillment of the atoning work of Christ.)

Jesus then proclaims WOES on the cities He mainly ministered in and to because they did not repent. It would be better for Sodom and Tyre (completely destroyed) on the Day of Judgment than for Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. 

Jesus then thanks His Father for the “little ones” who have believed, knowing that God had given them the understanding and revelation through His gracious will.  “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Then Jesus offers the gracious invitation to those around Him. “Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

 

 

 

   

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 284

Oct11

    Day 284—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 284 – Matthew 9, Luke 7 (Jesus heals many and raises the dead)

Matthew 9.  Matthews covers some incidents that we’ve read in the other Gospels. First, the paralytic man brought to him by friends. Nothing is said about their letting him down through the roof, but Jesus’ response was the same when He saw their faith.  “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 

This, of course, angered the religious leaders who said that Jesus was a blasphemer, for only God can forgive sins.  Jesus knew what they were thinking, turned to the man, and healed him. Jesus, as God, had authority over sin and sickness (and death too).

The following two incidents have also been covered. Jairus, the synagogue ruler, comes to Jesus about his deathly ill daughter, and Jesus agrees to go to her. But He’s intercepted by the woman with the issue of blood (who is healed). By then, Jairus’ daughter has died, and the situation seems hopeless. But Jesus goes in and raises the newly dead girl to life, joy, and… some food.

Jesus then meets and heals two blind men who call to Him, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”  “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Jesus asked them. When they affirmed it, Jesus said, “According to your faith, let be it done,” and their blindness was gone. 

A man with a demon who caused him to be mute was delivered and restored. The crowds marveled at Jesus’ authority over evil spirits. (The Pharisees said He cast out demons by the power of the Prince of Demons,” which doesn’t make sense.) 

Jesus saw the multitude as a field ready for harvest. He had compassion on them because they were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  

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Luke 7. This chapter also covers an incident we’ve read before about the Centurion with a sick servant. He doesn’t ask Jesus to come to heal the man, but only to “say the word and he will be healed.”  Jesus does and marvels at this Gentile’s faith.

Next is an incident we haven’t read before.  Jesus went to the small town of Nain. His disciples and a great crowd of people went with Him.  As THIS CROWD neared the gate of a city, ANOTHER CROWD was coming out.  It was the funeral procession for a young man, a son of a widow, who had died.  Jesus knew she was a widow and now completely alone with no prospects of a living. He had compassion on her, comforted her, then touched the casket (a big no-no, which would have made Jesus “unclean.”)  Except the boy came back to life, so the uncleanness of a dead body no longer applied. The young man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus handed him down to his mother. 

Fear seized the combined crowds, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

NOTE: Jesus has now raised a newly dead girl and a young man in a casket on the way to his burial. Soon, He will raise a man (Lazarus) who has been dead and buried for three days.  Indeed, God has visited His people. Immanuel.

These verses tell of a time before John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod and still in prison.  He hadn’t heard of Jesus claiming to be the Messiah who would deliver Israel from the Romans and set up a new kingdom.  He wonders about Jesus.  So he sends a few of his disciples (who still bring him food in prison) to ask Him, “Are YOU the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?

Instead of instantly replying, Jesus begins healing many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits. Even the blind see.  Then Jesus tells John’s disciples, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.  Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

How will these actions and words help John’s doubt?  Jesus knows that John is a prophet and that in those years in the desert growing up, he constantly studied the Scriptures.  John will instantly recognize Isaiah 35:5-6 and 61:1 as verses prophesying precisely what Jesus just did and relating them to Israel’s promised Messiah. He’ll be encouraged. 

As John’s disciples leave, Jesus turns to the crowd. “What did you expect to see when you went out to be baptized by John, a reed shaken by the wind?  A man in soft clothing living in luxury?  No, you went out to see a prophet, and yes, John was MORE than a prophet.  As it’s written, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.” Malachi 3;1.  

Then Jesus continued praising the life and ministry of John. “Among those born of women, NONE is greater than John. Yet the person who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Later, another Pharisee asked Jesus to have dinner with him. Jesus went to his house and took a place at his table.  Then, a woman of ill repute came in, bringing an alabaster flask of ointment. She stayed behind Jesus at his feet, weeping. She wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

The Pharisee smirked and said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known this woman touching Him was a prostitute.”

Of course, Jesus heard his thoughts loud and clear and told him a “parable.” There were two debtors, one owing 500 denarii and the other owing but 50. The moneylender forgave both their debts. 

“Which one do you suppose loved the moneylender more?” Jesus asked.

“Well, I suppose the one who owed the most.”

“You supposed correctly,” Jesus said.  “This woman has washed and anointed my feet – you did not offer a slave to wash them.  She hasn’t ceased to kiss my feet – you didn’t welcome me with the customary kiss of greeting.   HER sins, which are many, have been forgiven, so she loves much.  The one (YOU) who is forgiven little loves little. 

Jesus turned to the worshiping woman and said, “Daughter, your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The Pharisee and the others at the table grumbled.  “Who is this who even forgives sin???”

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 283

Oct10

    Day 283—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 283 – Matthew 5 – 7 (beatitudes, salt & light, wrong attitudes, Lord’s prayer, treasures, fruit, house on sand/rock)

Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” is full of practical teachings on the Christian life, especially humility, love, and holiness.

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, his disciples came to him, and he taught them.”

This almost sounds as if Jesus went away from the crowds to a place where He could teach his disciples. But most commentators say Jesus is teaching a large group spread out on a hillside.  Either way, His words are directed to ALL those who want to follow Him.  (Compare to Luke’s account in 6:17-49)

The first section, the Beatitudes, combines humble attitudes with rewards, and they seem to go in a progressive list.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, are meek, and hunger for righteousness. Blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, peacemakers, and those persecuted for Jesus’ sake. The rewards are mountainous compared to the attitudes. They will receive the kingdom of heaven, comfort, the earth, satisfaction, and mercy. They will see God, be called His “sons,” and receive the kingdom.

Next, Jesus tells how His followers are to be “salt” (to make unbelievers thirsty for salvation) and “light,” both to the world (set on a hill) and their own families (a table lamp), pointing to God’s salvation through Jesus, the Light of the World.

Jesus also speaks of the Law, which the Jews revered.  He’s come to fulfill it, not abolish it. But God requires a greater righteousness than keeping Moses’ law. Only through Christ can one be made perfect in God’s sight.

Then Jesus teaches on sensitive topics like anger, lust, divorce, taking oaths, retaliation, donations, and praying.  These are all heart matters and not things that show on the outside. God sees the heart and rewards accordingly.

After this, Jesus gives a formula for praying to their Heavenly Father. Their prayer should begin with worship and acknowledgment of their Father’s perfect will and way, then include petitions for daily needs, confession of sin with the assurance of forgiveness, and end with an earnest desire not to yield to sin and temptation.

Jesus then teaches more about forgiving others, fasting in God’s way, storing treasure in heaven and not on earth, dealing with anxiety, and not judging other people but instead examining the “fruit” they manifest in their lives.  The heart attitudes Jesus taught earlier are considered a person’s “fruit,” but also is their obedience to the Father’s will.  It’s possible to miss out on the Kingdom by professing but not possessing, Christ.

The “Golden Rule” states the correct heart attitude, but the way is narrow and hard.  Walking the “wide path” of tolerance, selfishness, and pride is easy, but the end is destruction.   Jesus tells a profound parable about building your life on sand (temporal things of earth) or a rock (lasting faith in Jesus). The storms of life and the end times will cause you to either stand firm or fall and be washed away.

“When Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, not as their scribes.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 282

Oct9

    Day 282—We are in the TENTH month of Bible reading and studying the New Testament Gospels.

    Day 282 – Matthew 12, Mark 3, Luke 6 (Man with a withered hand, blasphemy, crowds, mom & brothers)

Several of the incidents and teachings of Jesus are in all three of these passages today. 

Matthew, Mark, and Lukeall tell about a man with a withered hand whom Jesus encounters in the synagogue. The conversation begins with the Jewish leaders’ strict rules (not the law) about how to keep the Sabbath.  They say healing someone is breaking the law. Jesus says mercy rules and that it IS lawful to do good on the seventh day. (Their priests do good and work every sabbath when they offer sacrifices.)

“Stretch out your hand,” He tells the man, and his hand is restored. Fury burns in the Pharisees’ hearts, and they discuss what they can do to Jesus.  Jesus is grieved by their hardness of heart. Because of this, He withdraws from there. Crowds follow Him, and he ministers to them ALL. 

Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-4 about Jesus’s ministry.  “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench until He brings justice to victory; and in His name, the Gentiles will hope.”

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Matthew and Mark tell us about the next incident and teachings.  Jesus heals a man who is blind and mute because of a demon. The healing amazes the crowd. “Can this be the Messiah?”   But the Pharisees say that Jesus is possessed by a demon and only heals by the power of Beelzebub (the devil).  Jesus must have chuckled at that. “If Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided against himself.” Then He corrects them.  “But it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, and the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Then Jesus levels a grave accusation at them. “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, EXCEPT the blasphemy against the Spirit. It will NOT be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven…. in this age or the age to come.“

Do you want to know the truth about someone? Look at their fruit. “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the HEART, the mouth speaks.”   “I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give account for EVERY careless word they speak, for by your words, you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.”

“We wish to see a sign from you,” said the Pharisees. (In other words, PROVE IT!)

Jesus answers them with Old Testament scripture. “You evil and adulterous generation.  The only sign you’ll be given is that of the prophet Jonah. As he was three days and nights in the belly of a fish, the Son of Man will be three days and nights in the heart of the earth.” (Speaking of his death, burial, and resurrection).   “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for THEY repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold….. someone greater than Jonah is here.”

Meanwhile, Jesus’ mother and siblings are concerned about Him. They hear about his ministry to the crowds and confrontations with the Jewish leaders. He is so involved that he doesn’t have time to eat. (Of course, a Mom would worry about this.) “He is out of his mind,” they say.

They stand at the edge of the crowd and call to him.  Some notice and tell Jesus, “Your mom and your brothers are seeking you.”

But Jesus gestures to those around Him, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.”  Jesus was not “trashing” his family but emphasizing the importance and eternality of a spiritual relationship with Him.

(NOTE:  Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 mention the names of Jesus’ four earthly half-brothers and the fact that He also has sisters.)

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Luke 6 also begins Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.”  But we’ll read that tomorrow with Matthew 5 – 7.