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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/6) John 14:1-14

Aug6

Read and believe in Jesus

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.” John 14:1

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus and His disciples are closed off from the world in the upper room for the Passover meal. Judas is gone, and now Jesus turns to His “little children” to begin a very intimate time of personal teaching. He gives them a new, specific commandment for believers in Christ: ‘Love one another AS I have loved you.’ Jesus loved them to the end (death), and that’s what He is asking them to do for each other. This sacrificial love is what will “wow” the world and show them that Jesus IS real.

Peter is dismayed when Jesus tells them He’s going away and they can’t come with Him. Peter vows to die with Jesus, but Jesus is speaking not only of His physical death, but His death on the cross, as their substitute, the sinless “sinner,” lifted up on a cross, upon whom the wrath of God for sin will be poured out…once for all time. (Hebrews 9:26-29, 1 Peter 3:18 – yes, Peter finally gets it!)

And… Jesus gives Peter a “wake-up call” that keeps him silent for the rest of the evening – “YOU will deny me 3X tonight!!”

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John 14:1-7.

Jesus turns to the eleven and says gently,

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you? I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that … where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I’m going.”

Thomas, the loving but melancholy disciple (who had vowed to go into danger in Judea even if it meant he would die), says anxiously, “Lord! We do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? ”

Jesus reminded Thomas that it was not a “road” but a “person” that would lead them to that heavenly mansion and His Father. “I am the WAY, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Did Thomas nod thoughtfully at this?

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John 14:8-11.

Jesus continues, looking around at his men. “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you DO know Him and have SEEN Him.”

It’s Philip’s turn now, and he asks, perhaps scratching his head, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”


Did Jesus sigh and look toward the ceiling? “Have I been with you so long, and you STILL do not know me, Philip?” Jesus asks His confused disciple.

“Whoever has seen ME has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does His works.”

Then perhaps Jesus turns to the rest of the men and says, “Believe ME that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe on account of the works themselves.”

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John 14:12-14

Jesus now challenges them. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works (miracles) that I do, and greater works than these will he do.” (How?) “Because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

“If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it.”

Wow!!

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(Were the disciples as glassy-eyed as I am now, with more to come? This was a lot to take in for the Eleven. I mean, A LOT! )

Thomas and Philip have been speaking up for us, asking those hard questions, but Peter sits with his chin cupped in his hand, staring at his plate, with a very anxious and scared look on his face. He mumbles, ‘Betray Him three times?’

John‘s mind is busy, his eyes and ears wide open, wishing he had a scroll and quill, and thinking how he will remember all this to write down later for his gospel. (He will soon hear Jesus tell of the Holy Spirit’s super help!)

Nathaniel is scouring his brain for Old Testament prophecies that agree with what Jesus is saying, and nodding when some come to his memory. “Yes… and yes…” he murmurs.

James, the other ‘son of thunder,’ is perhaps thinking of that stunning event on Mt. Tabor when Jesus was transfigured before their eyes, and the voice of the Father thundered. Yes… he could see how Jesus and the Father are one together; in glorious light and majesty! “I can’t wait to share in that heavenly glory!” he thought.

Matthew gasps quietly as Jesus talks, seeing how all the things He’s saying relate to His parables of “the kingdom,” and how, when Jesus’ followers will pray and ask Him, and instantly get help… the kingdom of Heaven will surely come quickly!

Simon’s zealot heart pounds in his chest. We will do greater works than the Master?! We can ask whatever we will for “the cause of Christ” and for “His glory,” and the Master will hear and answer? “Glory Hallelujah!” Nothing can stop us!

Andrew‘s thoughts go back to the grassy hillside when the hunger of thousands of people touched Jesus’ compassionate heart. He remembers the little boy with a cloth sack over his shoulder pulling at his sleeve and offering the meager lunch to the Master. Andrew remembers bringing the lad to Jesus, and… that miracle that followed. YES! Andrew believes Jesus is the Messiah both because of His words and also because of His works… His miracles. ‘And WE are to do greater ones?’ OH!

Alphaeus’ son, James, keeps his thoughts to himself, but watches his ‘possible brother’ (compare Mark 2:14 with Acts 1:13), Levi’s (Matthew’s) ink-stained fingers as he lifts his hands in silent praise.

The “other Judas,” the son of James, is also listening silently, but he will speak a question later in the chapter. (14:22).

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/20) John 10:1-27

Jul20

Read and believe in Jesus

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…“ John 10:9a

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – In three parts, Jesus has healed a man born blind, watched as the man’s faith grew under persecution by the Jewish leaders, and then blossomed into true discipleship and worship when he met Jesus face to face.

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John 10:1-6

Jesus continues speaking to the same people from chapter 9: religious leaders (false shepherds) who were blind so they could not lead God’s people; the people listening, whom Jesus refers to as the sheep (all Israel); and the few believers in the crowd (My sheep).

(Israel is often compared to sheep in the Old Testament, with the Lord as their shepherd (Psalm 23:1). “He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in his arms (Isaiah 40:11), and promises that one day, “I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Jeremiah 3:15.)

Jesus tells them, “in a metaphor,” that HE is the Shepherd of the sheep. When He speaks to “His sheep,” they hear him and follow Him. They know His voice and trust Him.

And although the religious leaders knew the O. T. scriptures, revealing that they were NOT the kind of shepherds that pleased the Lord. “They did not understand what Jesus was saying to them.”

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john 10:7-9

Jesus elaborates on the metaphor of sheep and shepherds from a different angle.

“I am the door of the sheep(fold). All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.”

“I am the door. If anyone enters BY ME, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus is saying that belief in HIM is the only way to be saved. (John 14:5 says it even more clearly, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” )

The door, the gate, the way. There is NO OTHER possible means to be saved except by Jesus and faith in His atoning work on the cross.

Jesus continues to state this even more clearly. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

He compares Himself and His way of shepherding to that of the current and past shepherds of Israel. They were as ‘hired hands,’ not really caring for the sheep, only what they could get from the job. In their case, prestige, admiration, money. BUT, when real difficulty came, they were nowhere to be found, protecting themselves from the “wolves” who attacked the sheep. They were … BAD shepherds!

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

There is personal knowledge between the Good Shepherd and His own. He knows them personally, cares for them (read Psalm 23 again), and will sacrifice Himself for them.

“And I have ‘other sheep’ that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and THEY will listen to my voice.”

Jesus is speaking of most of us, Gentiles, non-Jews. Yes, He has opened His “sheepfold” to include us as well, to any who come to Him by faith.

“So there will be ONE FLOCK, one Shepherd.”

Paul reinforces this truth. In Christ “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on ALL who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12.

And also, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all ONE in Christ Jesus. And, if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:28-29

Wow, what a promise!

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Then, probably looking straight at those religious authorities who will (in a few months) take Jesus to trial and demand His life from the Roman governor, looking at THEM, Jesus says…

“I lay down my life that I may take it up again. NO ONE takes it from me, but I lay it down of my OWN accord. I HAVE AUTHORITY to lay it down, and I have AUTHORITY to take it up again. I received this from My Father.”

WHEW! I wonder if they stepped back a pace or two at the power of Jesus’ words?

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John 10:19-21.

It’s interesting that “there was again division among the Jews because of these words.“

Many said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to Him?

But others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

This is not the first time that there was division among the authorities.

In John 7:40-52, some were “wowed” by Jesus’ words, and Nicodemus even questions their ire against Him. (We know that both Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, members of the Sanhedrin, later believed in Jesus and were responsible for burying His body after the crucifixion.)

John 9:16 tells us that at the testimony of the formerly blind man, “Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner do such signs/’ And there was a division among them”

Acts 6:7 also says that “a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” under the apostles’ preaching. (That must have stirred up a hornet’s nest!)

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Anyway, it was much like today. Some will believe in Jesus and receive everlasting life and resurrection on the last day… and some will refuse to believe and forfeit eternal life in heaven for agony in hell… for eternity. Oh, be one of the former ones!!

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (7/1) John 6:25-40

Jul1

Read and believe in Jesus

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” John 6:37.

The Gospel according to John

REVIEW – Jesus miraculously feeds 5000+ people with only 5 loaves and 2 fish from a boy’s lunch. All are filled, and there was enough leftover for the disciples to have their fill. The people wanted to make Jesus KING, so He would feed them for free every day. But He hides, sends the disciples back across the Sea, and after it’s dark, He walks to them (on the water). Another pair of miracles.

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John 6:25-29.

Jesus and the disciples had arrived back in Capernaum during the night via a miracle of Jesus. The crowds had waited around and, when they found Him gone, had boarded boats (or traipsed around) and arrived much later.

“Rabbi, when did you come here?‘” they asked Jesus in wonder. I think their real question might have been HOW did you come here? Jesus had walked on the water half way, got into the disciples’ boat, which was then miracously at the opposite shore. Wouldn’t that have shocked them!!

Jesus knew the reason for their anxious seeking Him. They still wanted to make Him king after that miraculous sign of multiplying the loaves and fish. But Jesus wanted them to “hunger” for Spiritual things, for Him.

“Don’t labor for the food that perishes, but rather for the food that endures to eternal life … which the Son of Man will give to you.” (What a promise!)

“What must we DO to be doing the works of God?” The people thought they were required to do some works to “earn” eternal life.

(OH, isn’t that what so many people think today. They HAVE to be good, not lie, cheat, steal, kill, and all the other commands, to be “good enough” to deserve eternal life. NOT SO! We can never be good enough. It is a gift of God that Jesus gives by His own sacrifice.)

“THIS is the work of God,” Jesus tells them. “that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

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John 6:30-34.

Believe in Jesus, the Son that God sent into the world to save the sinners whom He loved so much. Believe in that mercy and grace, and receive life everlasting. (John 3:16)

But the people are way off on another planet in their understanding. Jesus’ words of salvation go right over their heads. “Um…then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness (for 40 years!) Moses gave them ‘bread from heaven to eat.”

Had they completely forgotten how Jesus had just miraculously fed a crowd of 20,000 with one boy’s lunch???

(I would have given up on them and just walked away. But Jesus shows His love for His own people.)

“It wasn’t Moses who gave you Manna, but my Father in Heaven. My Father (now) gives you the TRUE bread from Heaven … the “Bread of God” is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus is speaking of Himself.

Then, much like the Samaritan woman who sought the water that would quench her thirst forever, these people misunderstood Jesus’ words. “Sir, give us THIS bread always.”

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John 6:35-36.

“I AM the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.“

Jesus could not make that much plainer. HE was the answer to their heart’s hunger and thirst. HE was sent down by the Father to fill them and satisfy them. And yet they do not believe.

(Earlier in John 1:10, the apostle says, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” Paul later explains that Israel was blinded or hardened temporarily concerning Jesus, as a mercy for the Gentiles to be included in salvation. Then the nation of Israel would believe. See Romans 11:25-31)

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John 6:37-40.

This section is full of wonderful promises. Read and meditate on them!

“All that the Father gives me WILL come to me…

“And whoever comes to me I will NEVER cast out.”

“I have come from heaven NOT to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose NOTHING of all that He has given me.”

“For 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.”

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Amen! Thank You, Jesus!

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Reading the Gospels in 2026: (6/10) Luke 24:36-52

Jun10

A five-day-per-week study

June 10 – Luke 24:36-52

Read and Believe in Jesus

“It is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:46b-48

The Gospel according to Luke.

REVIEW – Jesus, in His “resurrected body disguise,” joined two disciples as they walked to Emmaus from Jerusalem after Passover week. They were astounded that this man didn’t know all the amazing things that had happened there, and told Him. Jesus then explained how all those things fulfilled the prophesies about the Messiah in the Scriptures. The two were amazed and said that “their hearts burned.” Jesus accepted their invitation to stay at their home, and when He took the bread, broke it, and gave it to them …. they suddenly recognized him as their Master. At that moment Jesus disappeared. The two rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the apostles.

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Luke 24:36-43.

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, the apostles and disciples were hearing and rejoicing at Simon Peter’s account of seeing Jesus himself. The two from Emmaus arrived and told their story. And there was great rejoicing.

As they were talking, encouraging each other, Jesus suddenly appeared among them. “Peace to you,” He immediately said, for they were frightened, thinking He was a ghost!

“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

(We may laugh at them, but seriously! How would YOU feel if Jesus in resurrected flesh was suddenly behind you while you read this on your phone or tablet? You would be wide-eyed. You would gasp. Your heart might start pounding. I know that’s how “I” would feel.)

Jesus then held out His nail-printed hands and showed his scarred feet. Surely they could see the healed wounds the crown of thorns made on his forehead. Yes, it was Jesus! Yes, He had risen as He said! But oh, how absolutely amazing and astounding it was to actually SEE Him. They looked and touched, wide-eyed and trembling. They saw Jesus but still “disbelieved for joy.”

(You know how that is. Sometimes something is SO amazing, we might say, “Wow! Unbelievable! I can’t believe I saw that!” That’s the attitude they had.)

Smiling at their amazement and joy, Jesus sought further proof to show them, and asked for some food. Surely ghosts don’t EAT! They gave Jesus a piece of boiled fish, and He ate it. Oh, how they watched wide-eyed as He bit, chewed, and swallowed.

(I can even see Him open His mouth and stick out His tongue to show that the fish had actually been swallowed!! Ha-ha)

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Luke 24:44-49.

Then, as He had done with the two on the road to Emmaus, Jesus told them that “Everything written about Me in 1) the Law of Moses, 2) the Prophets, and 3) the Psalms (the whole Old Testament) must be fulfilled.” Then Jesus did a wonderful thing. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Often, when He had taught the crowds, He told His disciples that they wouldn’t understand it all “then,” but they would later. NOW was that time.

(Can you imagine how it would be to totally understand and “see” Jesus throughout the Bible? We study and learn some, but to have instant understanding! Wow. Of course, these men (and women) would need that knowledge, as well as the Holy Spirit in them, to begin preaching the Gospel to all the world.)

Then Jesus states clearly the Gospel that is to be preached to all nations. “That Christ (Messiah) should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name.” This message would first be preached in Jerusalem and then spread to the whole world.

Jesus also promised that He would “clothe them with the power” they would need for the task. The Holy Spirit of God would soon come upon them. They were to wait in the city until this happened. (40 days later, on Pentecost)

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Luke 24:50-53,

Their clear task before them; the promise of power soon to be fulfilled; it was time for Jesus to return to Glory, to the Father, to the place of honor from which he had come 33 earth-years earlier. From there, He would send the Holy Spirit. And there He would intercede for them when the Tempter tried to prevail. And from there He would welcome them home when they were martyred for His name’s sake.

Jesus led them out as far as Bethany on the easter slope of the Mount of Olives. He lifted up His hands in a final blessing on them. And as He did, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.”

Like we would, they continued to stare in amazement into heaven at the last tiny spot they had seen Jesus. Then they worshiped Him (in praise and prayer). They returned to the Holy City with great joy, and were in the temple continually blessing God.

Hallelujah!!

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Luke omits some incidents and words that the other Gospels include after the Resurrection and goes straight to the glorious point of Jesus’ ascension.

As we study John next, we will see Jesus in those precious moments with Mary Magdalene in the garden, with “doubting” Thomas, who then proclaimed Him as “My Lord and my God”, with 500 disciples at one time in Galilee, and with the disciples beside the Sea, when Peter humbly said three times that he DOES love Jesus.

Matthew ends with the Great Commission and Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (2/9) Mark 10:17-31

Feb9

A 5-day per week study.

February 9– Reading Mark 10:17-31

Read and believe in Jesus.

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Mark 10:17b

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The Gospel according to Mark 10:17-31

Last time, Jesus taught about divorce, man’s hardness of heart, and adultery. Then He gathered up children into His arms and taught that His Kingdom was made up of such tender souls as these, who openly desired and received Him.  His disciples were confused.  They will be even more confused after the encounter they watched in today’s reading.

(NOTE: Having a list of the ten commandments before you today might be helpful. Exodus 20.)

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Vss. 17-18

The man who met Jesus today is the kind of person that society admires and envies.  He is generally referred to as “the rich young ruler.”  Think about that.  He had mega wealth.  He had youth.  He had power. He had it ALL.  Most of us would be happy to have just one of these.  And yet, this man had a discontentment in his heart.  He knew he lacked something.  Something that he couldn’t buy, achieve through his strength, or demand to be given to him.

“Good Teacher, what must I DO to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus answered him with a question, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”  

Jesus was not saying that HE, Himself, was not good. In this statement, Jesus was pointing the young, rich, and powerful man to the first commandments.  #1 Thou shalt have NO OTHER gods before the LORD, and #2 Worship only God, never any idols you make.  God alone is good and due our worship.  We’ll find out later just what this man “worshipped.”

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Vs. 19 with Romans  13:7-10

Then, Jesus points this young man to the other commandments. #6 Do not murder, #7 Do not commit adultery, #8 Do not steal, #9 Do not bear false witness, and skips to #5, Honor your parents.

In both Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts, #10 is omitted altogether, but Mark says, for #10, Do not defraud.  Defrauding someone is causing shame or dishonor to be brought upon them, their reputation (name), or their integrity.  (Basically, this is commandment #3. Do not take the NAME of the Lord in vain. 

Jesus probably didn’t say, “Do not covet,” because that was actually the young man’s basic sin.  He coveted wealth and the power it brought.

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Take a minute to read the verses in Romans, where Paul says, Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes, revenue, respect, and honor. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments (he names some) are summed up in this word: ‘Love does no wrong to (doesn’t DEFRAUD) a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.'”

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Vss. 20-22.

Okay, back to Mark.  The rich, young ruler looked at Jesus sincerely and said, “Teacher, all these I  have kept from my youth.”  He saw no fault, no sin in himself.

Jesus looked at this man, so blessed in life, and “trying” to be a good person, and He loved him.  But it’s clear that the young man missed what Jesus said at the beginning, “Only God is good.”

“You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, AND YOU SHALL HAVE TREASURE IN HEAVEN, and come follow me.”

Now, selling all our possessions and giving the proceeds to the poor does not make us eligible for Heaven.  Jesus knew the man’s weakness.  His wealth, greediness, covetousness… and of course, the power all that wealth brought was VERY IMPORTANT to him.   TOO important for him to give up… EVEN to have eternal life.  Wow.

Disheartened, the young man walked away with his head down and shoulders slumped.  He was sorrowful … because of his “great possessions.”

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(What about us?  The “thing” we lack before coming to Jesus is the acknowledgment, confession, and forsaking of our sin. HE must be the most important thing to us.  After we confess and forsake sins, we can joyfully “follow Him.”

I John 1:9: “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”

Romans 10:9-10: “For if you confess with your mouth that JESUS IS LORD (in your life, not possessions, etc.) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

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Vss. 23-31.

The disciples had watched this scene silently (perhaps enviously), but I’m sure their thoughts were now all over the place.  They viewed that young man as a blessed and law-keeping, righteous person.  His walking away confused them.

“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God,” Jesus said, shocking those twelve men around Him. The belief of that day was that wealth was a BLESSING of God to show He was pleased with you.  Now, Jesus was saying it was a “hindrance.” They just couldn’t take it in!

So, Jesus repeated for them, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Astonished at this concept, they cried out, “Then WHO can be saved???”

Jesus must have just looked at them until they quieted down.  Then, “With man it is impossible.  But not with God.  For all things are possible with God.”

Peter blurted out the mixed feelings of his heart, “Well, WE have left everything and followed You….”

Jesus smiled at his chief disciple, then looked around to the others.  “Truly, I tell you, there ia no one who has left house, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children, or lands for MY SAKE and for the Gospel’s …. who will not receive a hundredfold NOW in this time, houses, bothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands (WITH persecutions,) and in the age to come… eternal life.

Did the disciples feel better?  Understand more?  Feel assured?   A hundredfold, NOW??   Their minds buzzed.  Did they think of their homes and families back in Galilee?

Unknown to them, these disciples (except Judas) would travel a whole lot farther for the Lord and for the Gospel before they died. They would feel the sting and cut of persecution, but God would supply all their needs in the houses and provisions of other believers on their travels.  And then… ETERNAL LIFE with Him!

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Did the rich young ruler ever forsake all and believe in Jesus?   I hope so.  

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/26) Mark 6:30-44

Jan26

A 5-day per week study.

January 26 – Reading Mark 6:30-44.

Read and believe in Jesus.

(Jesus) had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” MARK 6:34

The Gospel according to Mark 6:30-44

The Twelve had just returned from their mission journeys. They were excited and wanted to tell Jesus all about it, but the crowd in Capernaum was growing. The message spread, “The ‘Teacher’ is back!”  Some wanted to hear more of his teaching. Most needed to be healed.

But Jesus knew the disciples needed time to decompress from the excitement of ministry. He also wanted quiet time to evaluate their experience and encourage them.

Again, Mark writes a “sandwich.”  This section begins with “…they had no leisure even to eat,” and ends with everybody having eaten their fill and the disciples collecting 12 baskets (lunchbox size) of scraps, one for each of them to ‘chow down.’

(Watch for these in Mark’s Gospel.)

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Vss. 31-34.

Jesus said, ”Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while,” and they got into a boat and headed across the Sea of Galilee.

When the boat left, many people observed it, and the able-bodied decided to “run around to the other side and get there ahead of them.” (This was about 4-5 miles on foot.)  Their timing was perfect.  The crowd (probably the younger and more fit) had begun to arrive just as Jesus stepped off the boat.

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Were the disciples disappointed that their time with the Master been preempted?  Perhaps they had been able to talk on the boat trip, as they slowly made their way, with little or no wind. 

Was Jesus upset or even angry? Nope.

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As the verse at the top says, when Jesus saw the bedraggled but excited people, He had compassion on them.  He saw them as sheep without a shepherd.  And HE was “the good shepherd.”

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Vss. 34b.

“Jesus taught them many things.” 

Did He use their eagerness or the surroundings to tell parables? 

Or did He teach them simple truths of the Kingdom, as in the Sermon on the Mount?

Did He call to their remembrance how God had been faithful to them in the Wilderness, that other “desolate” place?

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Vss. 35-38.

The day waned, and Jesus knew the people were getting hungry.

The disciples saw it too.  Or maybe it was THEIR OWN STOMACHS that were growling. 

“This is a desolate place,” they reminded Jesus, “and the hour is late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

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(I can imagine Jesus smiling as He looked around at the crowd. He would teach His disciples a bit about “living by faith.” It would be needed later as they journeyed around the world with the Gospel.)

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“YOU give them something to eat,” Jesus said calmly to His disciples.

They must have stared at Him. “Shall WE go and BUY two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat???

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(NOTE: 200 denarii would be 200 days’ wages for a laborer at that time. For a fast-food worker in California today, that would be about $4,000.)

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“How many loaves do you have?  Go and see,” Jesus told them.  They returned shortly with the little boy mentioned in John’s account. (See John 6:9.)  They now had five barley loaves (rolls) and two fish (think sardines).

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Vss. 39-44.

Jesus told the disciples to have all the people sit down in groups of 50 and 100 for an orderly distribution.  They probably still did not understand what Jesus was going to do.  Nevertheless, they obeyed.  Soon, 10,000-15,000 people (including women and children) were seated, with aisles between all the groups. 

Goodness!  Could you even see the people in the back groups???

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Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked to heaven, and said a blessing.  Then He began breaking the loaves and giving them to the disciples to distribute.  Nest he divided the two fish and gave them to the disciples in the same way.

AND they ALL ate and were satisfied!  All those thousands of hungry people ate to their fill!

AND … there were twelve baskets full of broken pieces and fish LEFT OVER!!

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How did that happen?  Jesus, of course.

“Give us this day, our daily bread,” Jesus taught us to pray.

“He shall supply all your needs, according to His riches in glory.”

Ravens brought bread to the prophet Elijah during a drought and famine.

“Do not be anxious, saying, … ‘What shall we eat?’ … for your heavenly Father knows you need it.”
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They may not have been alone, but Jesus DID teach the Twelve a few lessons they would need when they went out to minister in His Name: compassion, trust and obedience, finding opportunities, order, prayer, and abundance repaid.

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/23) Mark 6:13-29

Jan23

A 5-day per week study.

January 23 – Reading Mark 6:13-29.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe.” Mark 6:29a

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The Gospel according to Mark 6:(12)-(30) – one extra verse on either end of today’s reading.

I stretched the regular amount of verses to show something that Mark often does.  He sandwiches something between two incidents or facts. (Jairus’s daughter/woman with issue of blood/ Jairus’s daughter, etc.)  If you follow these, it helps the flow of the “story” he is painting of Jesus and His men.

  • Verses 12/13 – “So they (the Twelve) went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”
  • Verse 30 – “The apostles (sent ones) returned to Jesus and told Him all that they had done and taught.”

Let’s see what happened between them.

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Vss. 14-15.

When King Herod (ruler of Galilee), heard of all the healings and exorcisms that Jesus and His disciples were performing in the towns under his administration, he told his servants, “This is John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him!“  (Matthew 14:2)  And, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”  

John had rebuked Herod severely and openly for his unlawful marriage to Herodias.  Not only had Herod Antipas taken her from his brother Philip’s marriage (adultery) to marry her himself, but Herodias was also his niece (incest).  Herodias hated John for his accusations and schemed to have him killed. 

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Vss. 16-20.

Herod had finally arrested John and put him in prison, probably at Machaerus, his hilltop palace-fortress near the north end of the Dead Sea.  Weirdly, Herod liked to debate with John.  He also feared the prophet, knowing he was a righteous and holy man, so he kept him safe from Herodias’s evil machinations.

But she was more devious.

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Vss, 21-28.

A BIRTHDAY PARTY!! 

To celebrate another of his years, King Herod held a grand birthday banquet for his nobles, military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.  Everyone ate and drank to their fill – especially Herod.  To impress his guests, he called for Herodias’ sexually enticing daughter to dance for them.  She came into the hall on silent slippers, bowed to the king, and began to dance.

The gauzy veils and skimpy, flowing skirts, her sinuous movements, and alluring eyes mesmerized the guests and the king.  The men shouted their approval, and when the dance was over, the king beckoned for her.  When she stood before him, and he said, “Ask me for anything you wish, and I will give it to you.  Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”

The men shouted their approval once more and waited.  

Salome (her name) bowed and, with graceful steps, approached her mother at another table.  A few minutes later, she returned to the king with these instructions.

“I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

The banquet hall was dead silent. No one had expected that, including the king. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes were wide. He did not want to and was even afraid to kill the holy man.  He was sorry for his vow. But he looked around at the men, his guests, all eager to see if he would keep his oath, and he caved.

He ordered a servant to tell the executioner to behead John and bring back his head … on a platter. Then the party went on, even though everyone waited tensely to see what would happen.  Eventually, there was a ruckus at the door, and the big executioner walked into the banquet hall.  He carried a silver platter with the bloody and gruesome head of John resting on it, his long Nazarite hair hanging over one edge.  

He bowed and gave it to Salome. (Did she flinch, grimace, or scream?  Or did she already have her mother’s mindset?)  She brought the platter to her mother, and then to her unlawful stepfather, King Herod. (A vision for future nightmares!)

(Herodias reminds me of the wicked Queen Jezebel, who lusted for the head of the prophet, Elijah. after he killed all her prophets of Baal.)

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Vss. 29-30.

John’s disciples retrieved their teacher’s body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

At the same time, the Twelve returned – joyful and exhilarated – and told Jesus all that they had done. They told Him about some who had repented at their message.  They told Him how they’d cast out many demons, and had anointed the sick with oil, and they were healed.  

I know Jesus was happy to hear them, but He said,  “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”  So they got into a boat and sailed across the Sea to a quiet place by themselves.

Jesus knew they needed rest and privacy.  And he would also tell them of John.  He would explain how discipleship wasn’t all victories and miracles.  There was a cost to proclaiming the Good News.

It might even mean their lives.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/22) Mark 6:1-12.

Jan22

 A five-day-per-week study

January 22 – Reading Mark 6:1-12

Read and believe in Jesus. 

“And Jesus marveled because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:6

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The Gospel according to Mark 6:1-12.

After raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, to keep the crowds from growing even larger and pressing Him so He couldn’t teach or minister, Jesus took His disciples 50 miles SW to His hometown of Nazareth. It was small and of little importance, and most of the crowds would not follow Him there.

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Vss. 1-6.

On the Sabbath, they went into the local synagogue, and Jesus began to teach. Many who heard Him were “astonished.”

In the synagogue in Capernaum, the people who heard Jesus were also “astonished” at his teaching.  To them, “he taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.”  (See Mark 1:22)

Not so in Jesus’ hometown.  Notice the questions that came from the people of Nazareth after their astonishment at His teaching….

  • Where did this man get these things?
  • What is the wisdom given to Him?
  • How are such mighty works done by His hands?
  • Is not this the carpenter?
  • The son of Mary? *
  • The brother to James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? **
  • The brother to his sisters?
  • “And they took offense at Him.”

Unbelief, pure and simple.  

And Jesus acknowledged it.  He told them, “A prophet is not without honor … except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own household.”

Jesus could do no miracles there except that He laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

How sad. This town missed out on the huge blessings of Kingdom teaching and miracles … just because they would not accept Jesus for His claims (and Mary’s) 

So, Jesus went about among other villages teaching.

 

*Note: Calling Jesus the ‘son of Mary’ was degrading. Usually, a man was named after his father. (Simon, son of Jonah, James & John, the sons of Zebedee). With this title, they were saying they knew Jesus was conceived by a woman who was not married.)

**Note: Of Jesus’ brothers, James and Judas (Jude) did finally believe in Him and were saved.  James became the leader of the Jerusalem church and wrote the book of James. Judas also wrote the book of Jude and ministered in Galilee.  But now?  Now these brothers teased Him about his “visions of grandeur.”

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Vss. 7-12.

Away from Nazareth with its unbelief and Capernaum with its massive crowds, Jesus began another teaching exercise for the ‘Twelve.” He would send them out in pairs into the towns and villages in the area. And He gave them authority over unclean spirits. (Jesus had all authority, to give to whom He would).

There were requirements for their experience that would prepare them for later missionary work, when they would take the Gospel throughout the known world.

  • They were to take nothing except a staff – used for walking and protection against criminals and wild animals.
  • They were to take no food, no normal traveling sack, and no money. (This would be a faith-builder.)
  • They were to wear sandals, but only one tunic, so they could identify with the common people. (Those with comparative wealth would wear two tunics.)
  • They were to remain in the first house they approached that welcomed them for the duration of their stay. (Even if the neighbor had better accommodations or yummier food!)
  • If any home or town would not receive them, they were to “shake off the dust from their feet” as they left. This would show that the people had rejected Jesus and the gospel, and that they were rejected by the Lord.

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It’s interesting that Jesus chose the pairs of men to send out to different communities.

Don’t you wonder who made up those six teams?   Did the two sets of brothers go together, or did Jesus choose a fisherman with a scholar?  Did He send the tax collector out with the Roman-hating Zealot?  Who was sent with Judas Iscariot?

Jesus knew their hearts.  They each would be learning from the other and adjusting to circumstances every day.

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And so these men went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 

Did Jesus do the same, or did He go to a quiet place and spend days fasting and praying to His father for them, and for His own gruesome mission?

 

 

 

 

Reading the Gospels in 2026: (1/7) Mark 2:13-17

Jan7

A 5-day per week study.

January 7 – Reading Mark 2:13-17.

Read and believe in Jesus.

“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”  Mark 2:17b

 

The Gospel According to Mark 2:13-17

Vss. 13-14.

Jesus is again beside the Sea of Galilee (it was near Peter’s home).  The crowd was coming to him, and He was teaching them. (Standing by the water and speaking up the sloping land made for great acoustics. Many people were able to hear Jesus’ voice clearly.) 

Then, Jesus continued along a certain path, but this time He wasn’t looking at the boats.  He knew where He was going and who He would find there. And as he’d specifically called the two sets of fishing brothers to Himself, Jesus now spoke to a Tax Collector sitting at his tax booth.  

“Follow me,” Jesus said, looking into the man’s eyes.  (I almost expected Him to say, “…and I will make you a ‘Collector of Men’,” but of course He didn’t say that.)  The tax collector, Levi, got up, left his coveted Roman franchise booth, where he’d become a rich man at the expense of his fellow Jews, and followed Jesus.  

Don’t you wonder what Peter, Andrew, James, and John were thinking?  Levi had probably extorted money from their family’s fishing businesses many times. And Jesus was calling… him?  How did the richly ornate robe of the Publican blend with the simple attire of local fishermen?  

(I’m so glad that Jesus calls all types of people to follow Him.)

Like with the fishermen, I believe Levi had heard Jesus speak before as He made his way along the shore of Galilee.  Perhaps he’d witnessed miraculous healings too, as he watched from inside his booth.  Whatever he’d seen and heard, Levi’s heart was now toward Jesus.  The instant the Master called, Levi was out of the booth – leaving the quills, ledgers, and piles of coins behind – and walking with Jesus.

(By the way, this man’s other name was Matthew.  And this careful calculator wrote the wonderful Gospel by his name, specifically to the Jews about their Messiah.)

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Vss. 15-17.

Peter had invited Jesus to headquarter in his home. Now, Levi asked Jesus (and disciples) to a feast at his house. He also invited a bunch of other tax collectors (and “sinners”) that he knew. 

(Another tax collector – Zacchaeus – did the same thing in Luke 19.  This is SO like what happens to a person who has truly been converted. They want to share “the good news” with others. They want friends and family to know Jesus, too.)

Jesus, of course, accepted the invitation. He is comfortable with anyone who truly seeks Him.  Did other “sinners” there believe in Him and follow His way too?  

Outside, the Scribes (probably the same ones who’d observed the paralytic man being healed) had sour faces.  “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  (THEY would never do that!)

Jesus heard what they said as He left Levi’s house.  He looked these self-righteous men in the eyes and said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

Did they understand what Jesus meant?  What DID Jesus mean? 

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Did He truly see these Jewish rulers as “righteous,” not needing forgiveness and salvation?  Absolutely not.  Psalm 14:2-3 says, “None is righteous (good), no, not one.”  Jesus was speaking about the “self-righteous” who “think” they don’t need a savior.

Later, in Luke 18, we will see that Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee and a Tax Collector. Was He thinking of Levi and these men?   He told this story “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt.”

In the story, the Pharisee stood and bragged of all his good works and accomplishments, and how he had never done such sinful things as the extortioners, adulterers, the unjust, or even… the tax collector…

The Tax Collector, on the other hand, could say nothing but, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  (Were those Levi’s words that Jesus quoted?)   Jesus told his audience that the Tax Collector went to his house JUSTIFIED, while the braggadocio Pharisee did not.

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Here, in Capernaum, the Jewish leaders were just beginning to spar with Jesus.  It would get worse. Would any of them recognize their lack of true righteousness before it was too late?

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 365

Dec31

Day 365 – Reading – Revelation 19 – 22

Read and believe in Jesus!

The Revelation 19.

After the horrendous events of the previous seven chapters, we finally see evil defeated and the Lord Jesus Christ victorious.

“Hallelujah!” cry the multitudes in heaven.

“Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just.”

“Amen! Hallelujah!” cry the 24 elders.

“Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, great and small.”

“Hallelujah! cry a great multitude with the voice of thunder.

“For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready;

It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen (the righteous deeds of the saints), bright and pure.”

 

“Write this,” said the angel. “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And John was so overcome, he fell at the feet of the angel and worshiped him.

“You must not do that!” cried the angel. “I am a fellow servant. Worship GOD!”

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Next, John saw the heavens split and a WHITE HORSE gallop out. Riding on it was One called “Faithful and True.”  John recognized Him from His appearance and what He wore.  “It is The Word of God.” (Remember John’s Gospel 1:1?) 

“The King of kings and the Lord of lords!” was written on His thigh.

And with Him were the armies of heaven, dressed in white and pure. These were: the church, the tribulation saints, the O.T. believers, and even angels.

“And the beast was captured, and with it, the false prophet who, in its presence, had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped the image. THESE TWO were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire that burned with (stinky) sulfur.

All the rest of the enemies of God were slain by the sword (the Word) that came out of the mouth of the white horse rider. And all the birds gorged on their flesh.

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Revelation 20.

And the GLORIOUS ACT OF JUDGMENT ON SATAN!! 

“And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit, and a great chain.  And he SEIZED THE DRAGON, THAT ANCIENT SERPENT, WHO IS THE DEVIL AND SATAN, and bound him for a thousand years.  (The Millennium, when Israel will get its time of rule on the earth, with their Messiah reigning as King in Jerusalem.)

The angel threw the devil into the pit and shut it and sealed it so that he might not DECEIVE the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. (And then only for a little while.)

Saints who had been martyred for their testimony of Jesus and the Word of God came to life now and reigned with Him for those thousand years.  (The rest of the dead did NOT come to life until after the 1,000 years.)

When the thousand years are ended … Satan will be released to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth – Gog and Magog – to gather them for battle and “take” the Holy City.  But fire will come from heaven and consume them all.

Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet.  They will be tormented day and night forever and ever. AMEN!!

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THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT.

And then…. John saw a great white throne, and HIM who was seated on it.   From His presence …. the earth and sky fled away and were no more.

Then John saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.  And the books were opened (with the deeds of the people). And another book was opened – The Book of Life.  And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 

(No good works recorded, ever, will grant them LIFE, only if they had trusted in the finished work of Jesus and their names were in the Book of Life.)

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EACH ONE was judged. 

And if his name was not in the Lamb’s Book of Life …

… he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

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Revelation 21.

Then John saw a glorious new heaven and earth, and a new Jerusalem coming down from God like a Bride prepared for her Husband.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

God said, “I am making all things new.” 

Then to John, “Write this down.  It is done!  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.”

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Then one of the “bowls” angels came again to John and said, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”  

And he carried John away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain. He showed him the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from God, “having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel like jasper (diamond), clear as crystal….”

And John describes (or tries to describe) what this glorious city looked like. See 21:12-27, ending with “…only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life will ever enter it.”

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Revelation 22.

The angel showed John the river of the Water of Life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the Tree of Life with twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. And the leaves were for the healing of the nations.

No longer will there be ANYTHING accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. And….. They will see HIS FACE!

And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the LORD God will be their light.  And they will reign forever and ever.

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Then the angel said to John, “These words are trustworthy and true, to show God’s servants what must soon take place.”

“And behold, I am coming soon.  Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

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John, signing his signature:  “I John, am the one who heard and saw these things.”

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He continued to John, “Do NOT seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.“

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

 

Then, it’s as if Jesus also “signed His signature” as proof of the truths in this book.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches.  I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

 

In response, the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”

 

Then a warning from John.  “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone ADDS to them, God will ADD to him the plagues described in this book,  and if anyone TAKES AWAY from the words of the book of prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life in the holy city which are described in this book.”

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“Surely I am coming soon.”

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

 

 

 

 

 

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In 2026, I hope to do a smaller, simpler study/reading of the four Gospels, beginning with Mark on January 1st.

After Mark, will be Luke (on March 5th) and John (on June 11th). Matthew (on September 7th) will end the year. (The Lord willing.)

This will be in Monday through Friday postings only. (Weekends off)

Join me if you like.