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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (11/2): Matthew 14:1-12.

Nov2

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“The king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he commanded it to be done.” Matthew 14:9

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REVIEW – Jesus finished up in Capernaum by telling His disciples three short parables about His kingdom. It was as precious as treasure and as valuable as a fine pearl to those whose hearts were open and seeking. It was also like a net gathering in many true seekers, as well as the charlatans. The end-of-the-age judgment would reveal who the genuine righteous were.

Then Jesus made a disheartening trip to His hometown of Nazareth, only to be rebuffed as “that kid who grew up among us.” Sadly, He could do very few miracles there because of their unbelief.

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Matthew 14:1-2.

“At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus (His miracles) and said to his servants, ‘This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.'”

Why would Herod say this? Why did he now think that Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead?

A GUILTY CONSCIENCE, plain and simple.

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Matthew 14:3-5.

Why had Herod arrested the Baptizer? He didn’t like John preaching about his incestuous, adulterous marriage to his sister-in-law.

Herod had stolen Herodius from his brother Philip. And, by the way, she was actually a niece to both of them (daughter of their half-brother Aristobolus). John’s accusations and condemnation constantly irritated the “happy couple.” Herod also feared that John “could” cause a rebellion among the Jews because of his marriage.

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“King” Herod Antipas (one of Herod the Great’s sons) was given by his father the territories of Galilee (west of the Sea of Galilee), and Perea (east of the Jordan River beginning about 30 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, and extending nearly halfway down the eastern side of the Dead Sea.

He had two palaces: one in the north, closer to Galilee, where he probably first heard of John, who had been baptizing there. Herod’s other massive fortress, palace, and citadel was at Machaerus, perched on an impenetrable conical mountain on a cliff overlooking the Dead Sea.

It was probably here, in a deep dungeon carved into the rock summit, that they kept the imprisoned John the Baptist after his arrest.

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“Out of sight, out of mind,” may have been Herod’s idea in arresting John and sending him to Machaerus. His acid accusations were silenced, but he was still alive. Herod even had conversations with John now and then. He feared killing John because the people believed (rightly) that he was a prophet.

But Herodius simmered inside, carrying a huge grudge over John’s accusations.

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Matthew 14:6-11.

Matthew describes briefly what happened to John. (Mark and Luke give the same accounts.) It seems that life in a deep, dank hole was not enough for the wicked, scheming Herodius. She wanted him dead and sought every opportunity to have him killed. Her opportunity came finally at Herod’s birthday bash.

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After a day or so of feasting and drinking by Herod and his guests, Herodius had her beautiful, sexy daughter “dance” before the king. Salome knew what to do and did it well, as seductive eyes and movements mesmerized her stepfather.

Finally, the music stopped, and the limpid Salome slowly moved away from Herod, long fingers traveling along his arm or knee…. She slowly made her way back to her mother’s table and received a wicked smile and nod.

The male guests at Herod’s birthday party went wild, begging for more, but Herodias wisely demurred on her daughter’s behalf.

The guests howled in protest, and finally Herod spoke.

“Whatever you ask me,” he vowed to Salome, “I will give you – up to half my kingdom.”

The crowd roared. Salome conferred with her mother, then announced loudly and clearly, 

“Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”

Herod had turned icy cold, his face as white as a sheet. John the Baptist? The prophet? They wanted him to behead John? And… bring the bloody evidence here as proof?

“The king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to break his word to her. Immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.” (Mark 6:26-28)

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John’s disciples learned of the atrocity, took John’s body and buried it. Then they went to Jesus and told Him what had happened. Matthew 14:13 says, “When Jesus heard this, He withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by Himself.”

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And now Herod had nightmares, thinking John, the holy man he had killed, had returned from the grave in the form of this miracle worker, Jesus.

After that, Herod tried hard to hear Jesus for himself and see some miracle by Him. But even when Pilate sent Jesus to Herod in a 3rd mock trial, Jesus remained absolutely silent and motionless, though Herod dressed Him up as a mock-king and taunted him.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (10/21): Matthew 11:20-28.

Oct21

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

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REVIEW – Yesterday we saw a message from John the Baptist (in prison) reach Jesus and Jesus’ unusual answer. The fiery “voice in the wilderness” had proclaimed a Messiah of fire and cleansing. But from what John could learn from his deep dungeon, Jesus was a Messiah of compassion, tenderness, healing, and hope. Israel was corrupt and sinful; where was the judgment?

Jesus sent a message through John’s disciples, in the only form the Baptist would fully understand. Jesus sent him ‘scripture in action.’ He showed John that His healing of the sick and disabled, cleansing of lepers, freeing the demon-possessed, even raising the dead, and preaching good news, did in fact fulfill the first part of Isaiah’s prophecies of the Messiah. (from Isaiah 29 and 35). In the second coming, there would be fire, judgment, and wrath.

Once John heard that report, he KNEW Jesus was indeed the Messiah of Israel.

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Matthew 11:20-24.

(Remember that while the disciples were on their missionary trip, Jesus was also “teaching and preaching” in the cities of Galilee.)

Despite the extraordinary exclamations about his healings, the people did NOT follow Him as Messiah. People then (like today) wanted what they could GET from God and weren’t interested in what they could GIVE.

Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, all cities around the Lake where Jesus centered His ministry, came under judgment for refusing to repent and follow Him. (Later, when Jesus spoke directly to His “home townies”, He would include Nazareth in the condemnation.)

Then that chilling judgment. It would be worse for these (the cities that had experienced Jesus in person and rejected Him) than for Tyre and Sidon, and Sodom. (Ezekiel 26-28 and Genesis 23:3-5)

Wow, I think I might have shaken in my boots to hear that judgment! But then again, except for God’s grace, I probably would have dismissed Jesus’ words and walked away too.

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Matthew 11:25-27.

After their earlier degrading taunts and name-calling of Jesus, and his vivid judgment on their cities, Jesus saw fit to warn them further, via a spoken-aloud prayer to His Father.

“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the “wise and understanding” and revealed them to “little children”; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will. “

A sure slap in the face for those stuck-up know-it-alls, who had called Jesus a “glutton and drunkard.” (The very Son of God!!)

The precious news of salvation and redemption, of God’s great love that led Him to send Jesus to die, the grace and mercy He showed us through Jesus… these pearls and treasure boxes of gold… were to be revealed only to those with child-like, faith-filled hearts.

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Matthew 11:28-30.

Then this familiar and precious passage:


“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

This beginning echoes the Beatitudes (Blessed are the poor in spirit (the humble), the ones who mourn (about their sin), the meek (not proud), the merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers…).

Jesus isn’t calling people who are simply tired of working and need a vacation in the Bahamas. He is calling those with a heart’s longing for Spiritual rest and peace with God to come to Him.

“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.”

Not only will Jesus help you, support you, and share your “journey” in this life; He will also save you from endless, fruitless efforts to “save” yourself by trying to keep the works of the law (which no one can do).

Resting in Jesus means faith in the very means of His Salvation (His death on your behalf and His resurrection, which shows God’s acceptance of His work).

Come to Him, believe in Him, trust Him! “For (His) yoke is easy and (HIS) burden is light.”

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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (10/20): Matthew 11:1-19.

Oct20

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:3.

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REVIEW – Jesus had sent off His twelve disciples/apostles to learn how to bring the gospel to the Jews in cities and towns. Jesus also empowered them with “signs and wonders” to prove the truth of their message.

He ALSO gave them many things to expect. Just as He Himself was sometimes rejected, or even after a healing, ignored, THEY would experience the same. And more. Eventually, they would follow their master into harsher persecution, arrest, trials, and even martyrdom. They were to be prepared and steady in their commitment. The END would make it all good.

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Matthew 11:1-3.

As His disciples went out, Jesus continued teaching and preaching in the towns of Galilee.

(Imagine this ministry spreading everywhere! People heard of healings, cleansings, and other miracles from all directions. The dead were even being raised. It was a miraculous time. Glory be! Surely the Messiah had come! The news spread far and wide.)

Deep in the dungeon of Herod Antipas’ fortress in Perea (across the Jordan), even John the Baptist heard. He wasn’t sure he was hearing it right. All this compassion and helping people… John hadn’t pictured Jesus that way!

(“I baptize you with water for repentance, but HE will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and FIRE.“ John had preached. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire!”) Matthew 3:11-12.

So John sent some of his faithful disciples (who brought him food and news in prison) to ask Jesus what was going on.

They said, “Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?” How frustrating it must have been for John, confined, hearing second- and third-hand news without seeing for himself.

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Matthew 11:4-6.

Jesus did not say, “Sure, Cuz, it’s me. That fire-and-brimstone stuff comes later. Stay cool!”

No, Jesus showed and told the messengers from John JUST WHAT the Messiah was prophesied to do at His first coming. Jesus healed the blind, made the lame walk, cleansed lepers, made the deaf hear, raised the dead, and preached the “good news” to the poor.

And John recognized the passages in Isaiah as soon as his own disciples brought back the news.

Isaiah 29:18-19, “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exalt the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 35:4-6, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.”

This describes the Messiah’s first coming. Each of those passages goes on to describe the second coming as well, when evil will be defeated, and the King will rule in justice and holiness.

John had missed that, but when he heard Jesus’ answer, he remembered and realized, YES!! Jesus WAS the Messiah of Israel, the one He’d prepared the way for.

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Matthew 11:7-17.

As John’s messengers left, Jesus turned to the crowd.

“What did you expect to see out in the wilderness?” Jesus asked. “A reed shaken by the wind? A man dressed in soft clothes? NO. But a prophet. MORE than a prophet. John was God’s messenger sent before Me to prepare the way before Me.”

“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.”

John was greater than the Old Testament prophets because he actually SAW with his eyes and personally participated in the fulfillment of what the others only prophesied.

“Yet… the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

All believers after the cross are greater still, because they participate in the full understanding and experience of Christ’s actual atoning work (which John only foresaw).

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Matthew 11:12-19.

This next part is a little confusing, but Jesus is probably confirming what He said earlier: entering the kingdom is difficult. “The violent take it by force.” He says, “Everyone forces his way into it.” Meaning the way is truly narrow and hard to travel.

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Then Jesus says a strange thing. “If you are willing to accept it, John IS Elijah who is to come.” WHOA!

Of course the people KNEW that the prophet of old HAD NOT DIED. Elijah was taken up alive in a chariot of fire. But hadn’t John the Baptist, himself, denied that he was Elijah? What did Jesus mean?

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Yes, John ‘had come’ “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), but if they had believed, John would have been ‘the fulfillment of the Elijah prophecies’….

Interested? Check out Mark 9:11-13 and Revelation 11:3-6, in light of your knowledge of the Old Testament.

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Then Jesus compares Himself with John and says people like neither example!

John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said: “He has a demon.”

On the other hand, Jesus came eating and drinking, and they called Him “A glutton and drunkard, and friend of tax collectors and sinners.”

Sheesh!

Thank goodness, Jesus came to please only His Father and do His will… not what fickle people thought He should be and do! Where would we be then??

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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (10/9): Matthew 7:24-29.

Oct9

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and DOES them will be like a….” Matthew 7:24.

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REVIEW – Jesus warned about false prophets: sheep in wolves’ clothing, thornbushes and thistles, and diseased trees. All examples from agriculture and farming, which His listeners knew well. Jesus said all of these would end up “in the fire.”

To make it clear whom He was talking about, Jesus described people who, although very pious, dynamic, charismatic, and talented religious leaders, lacked one thing. They did NOT do the Father’s will, which was to believe in Him. In their last terrifying moment of trusting in these “pious works,” they will hear Jesus say, “I never knew you. Depart from Me.” Faith in the Son, and not good works, is the key to Christ’s kingdom.

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Matthew 7:24-27.

Jesus gives one more illustration about two house builders.

One man was wise, perhaps experienced in all that could go wrong in home building, and now knew the best way. He dug deep until he hit bedrock.

Then he laid the foundation for his home. The walls, floors, and roof now sat steady and strong on that base.

Another man, perhaps new at the trade, or maybe one who had not learned from previous fails, began construction right away.. He smoothed and leveled a base for his house on the packed dirt.

Then he built a beautiful, multi-storied home that made many around him envious.

Then the builders moved their families into the houses they built and began living the good life.

Then it began to rain.

Perhaps not a Noah-like rain, but a steady downpour. Rain poured from the two homes’ roofs and ran in rivulets down the driveways. The water ran clean from the first house. Dirty water, then mud growing thicker and thicker, flowed from the second home.

Foundations were revealed.

At one house, solid blocks reached far below the surface, while at the other, the dirt beneath the blocks was quickly eroding away. The second house began to tip and sink.

Then, hurricane-like winds began beating on the houses, causing windows to shudder in one and the tipping to increase in the other.

Finally, with one great gust, the beautiful house built on the “sand” leaned all the way over and, with a horrendous roar, fell, crushing walls, windows, and the furniture inside. The debris twisted, broke apart, and the floodwater carried it away.

When the wind receded, the rain stopped, and a bright rainbow appeared in the clear blue sky … the house on the rock stood still.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like the wise man who built his house on the rock.”

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.Matthew 7:28-29.

“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for He was teaching them as One who had authority, and not as their scribes.”

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Think back over the last 14 studies on the “Sermon on the Mount.”

Remember all that Jesus taught this crowd of “followers” about His kingdom, which was “at hand,” there and NOW.

This was certainly not the “kingdom of the Messiah” they had expected (freedom from Rome and a utopia on earth). His kingdom seemed difficult to enter and exist in. Who could do it? And yet, He taught with such authority and knowledge of the Scriptures…

Some stayed to follow and hear more from Jesus. Others faded away. “It’s too hard.”

Which will we be? Standing steady, or falling away?

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Challenge: Go back today or this weekend and reread Chapters 5-7 of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount. What stood out to you? What “convicted” you? What made you love Jesus more?

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (9/29): Matthew 5:38-48.

Sep29

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 6:44

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REVIEW – Jesus has been comparing the Law and the teachings of the religious leaders to the principles of the kingdom of heaven. He taught how God’s rule on telling the truth when making a vow, and promptly fulfilling it, applies to all our promises. Don’t try to impress others by vowing extraordinary things. Don’t be known as procrastinators. Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain. Instead, let your promises be YES, I will do it, or NO, I can’t do it right now. Yes or No; nothing more. Then follow through if it’s a yes.

(NOTE: After yesterday’s post, I was convicted about a particular “vow” (promise) that I often fail to keep. When someone tells me of a struggle or sad situation they are dealing with, I often respond, “I’ll pray for you.” But then I don’t. I forget. It would have been better for me NOT to have promised (vowed).

So now, I will try to either stop right then and pray for the person or situation before we part, or I will write it somewhere (phone, notepad, palm of my hand) to remind me at my prayer time. Please, LORD, help me to be more faithful in keeping my vows to others and to You.)

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Matthew 6:38-42.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth…'”

Yes, that IS in the Bible. It’s in Exodus 21:24, and it includes WAY more than eyes and teeth.

“…if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

Leviticus 21:24 adds “fracture for fracture” and says this law applied to Israelites as well as other peoples living in their land.

WOW!!

BUT… the whole point is NOT personal retaliation. It’s judgment on an offense, ruled by a judge. Not by an individual, and not in the heat of the moment. It was for the protection of the injured, sort of an insurance policy. It was also a pretty good deterrent.

But what this law in Moses’ time REALLY accomplished was EQUAL punishment for the crime. A person who knocked out a tooth might lose a tooth too, but they were not to lose their life. And not everyone else in their family was to lose a tooth. The person guilty would receive just punishment, and then it was DONE.

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But what about Jesus’s words? “But I say to you, ‘Do not RESIST the one who is evil.”

This is about personal retaliation. It is NOT about a criminal offense or a military aggression. And it ties in with what Jesus will say next about loving your enemy. It is how a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, having the “attitudes” Jesus first explained, would respond to personal injustice.

“But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Didn’t Jesus do this with Pilate’s soldiers?)

“And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

“And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. (Think of Simon who was forced to carry the cross for Jesus.)

“Give to the one who begs from you, and “do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

Give up your personal rights (and/or your possessions) for the sake of the kingdom. Why? WHY should we do this???

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Matthew 6:43-48.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'”

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you … so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

“You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

WHOA! No way!!

But Jesus says, ‘Yes, way.’

Because even “tax collectors” (the worst people in the view of a pious Pharisee), even THEY love the neighbors who love them back. And yes, because even Gentiles (looked down on by ALL Jews) greet only their brothers and not others.

Jesus is telling His listeners on that mountainside that THEY (if they are to be citizens of His kingdom) must be different. Other people should be able to SEE the difference in them (like a city on a hill). They are to be like sons of their Father in heaven. They are to be PERFECT as their Heavenly Father.

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It’s impossible, you say. I say that too! We can never do all that Jesus says people of His kingdom do. We are sinners, imperfect, and on our best day, we are sinful enough to send us straight to hell.

So what are we to do? How are we to take Jesus’ words?

Little by little, Jesus is showing them (and us) that we CANNOT be perfect. We cannot even be good. We are sinners. It’s why we need Jesus, why He came.

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As these Jewish people knew so well from the Law, the only way anyone could approach a holy God was with a sacrifice; a substitute; that would die in their place after they symbolically laid their hands (and their sins) on its head before killing it.

Were they perfect? No. But when the holy God saw the blood of the lamb covering their sin, they could approach Him.

Jesus was showing them that picture, one step at a time. First, their sin and inability to be perfect; then that HE would BE the (only) way they could approach their Heavenly Father.

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“For our sake, God made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (9/11): Matthew 2:19-23.

Sep11

Remembering the lives lost in the events of September 11, 2001

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“He shall be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2:23

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REVIEW – After the visit from the Magi, who were seeking to WORSHIP the young King of the Jews, the evil-hearted Herod mercilessly slaughtered all the baby boys under two in Bethlehem, in an attempt to DESTROY the young King of the Jews. Certainly, he was filled with and controlled by the devil, who, since God’s promise of a Savior in Genesis, had been trying to stop God’s plan of redemption.

However, God warned Joseph in a dream shortly after the Magi departed to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt ASAP. Again, Joseph immediately obeyed. The gifts the Magi had brought were instrumental in their escape and their livelihood in Egypt.

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Mathew 2:19-21.

King Herod did not last long after the massacre of the children. He was already full of a despicable disease from which he’d tried every known cure without success. In his madness, he’d already killed his ‘beloved’ wife Mariamme, and many of his sons and relatives in an attempt to keep them from deposing him.

But God has the last word when a king is dethroned, and a man dies.

The great Herod succumbed to his disease … and Jerusalem rejoiced … for a minute. He still had a few sons by other wives who could take his throne. Who would it be?

The Roman emperor, Augustus, would decide. After some scrambling and many bribes, in which Herod Antipas tried for the spot, the wicked and brutal Archelaus, son of Herod’s Samaritan wife, became the new king of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. (Antipas was sent to rule over Galilee and Perea. He was the “Herod” of Jesus’ ministry.)

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(NOTE: Archelaus was so ineffective that Rome eventually deposed him and appointed a series of governors. Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of Judea.)

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Anyway, God sent an angel in a dream to Joseph saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”

Joseph got up, took Jesus and Mary, and went to the land of Israel. (Such immediate obedience!)

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Matthew 2:22-23.

As Joseph and his family entered the southern border of Israel, he heard that Archelaus had been made king, and he was afraid. Perhaps he’d been planning to return to Bethlehem, where they had lived for two years after Jesus’ birth. But it was so close to Jerusalem and the king’s residence. Could another massacre happen?

God did not let his chosen caretaker of Jesus fear for even a moment. He again warned him in a dream NOT to settle in Judea, but to return all the way back to Nazareth, that tiny, “nowhere” town on the side of a hill in Galilee.

And Joseph obeyed. They probably traveled the unfamiliar coastal road to keep out of the attention of Archelaus.

Did the young couple remember that journey to Bethlehem years ago with Mary pregnant and about to deliver? Did they remember that first stable where Jesus was born, and the arrival of the shepherds with their wondrous story of an angel choir and message? And then the home where those amazing Magi visited? And that horrible night of flight.

And now back to sleepy Nazareth, where Mary had been scorned for her pre-nuptial pregnancy. Would those people remember? What would they think of Jesus? Would they call Him a…?

“And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.'”

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(NOTE: there isn’t a specific O.T. scripture that says the Messiah would be “called a Nazarene.” Matthew, as with his quotes before, likes to “picture” or allegorize his points.)

Consider this: the root of the word Nazareth is nezer, or “branch” or “shoot”, and remember one of Matthew’s purposes is to show Jesus as the true descendant of David, and the King of the Jews.

Now, consider these passages:

  • Isaiah 11:1 – “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse (David’s father), and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him…”
  • Jeremiah 23:5 – “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king… “
  • Jeremiah 33:15 – “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and He shall execute justice and righteousness for the land.”
  • Zechariah 38b – “…behold, I will bring my servant, the Branch.”

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These O.T. prophecies pointed towards Jesus’ 1,000-year reign on earth, still future to us, but by presenting them and comparing them to the title Jesus will be known for on earth – Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus, the Nazarene – Matthew is hoping his readers will make the connection and “see” the Branch of David, and the King EVERY TIME they hear and read about Jesus.

Let US do the same.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (9/10): Matthew 2:13-18.

Sep10

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“And he (Joseph) rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt…” Matthew 2:14

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REVIEW – A delegation of wise men came from the East to Jerusalem seeking the One who had been born “King of the Jews.” This put Herod “the Great” in a panic, for he thought HE was the king of the Jews. Herod asked the religious leaders where the Messiah was to be born, and they quoted Scripture, identifying Bethlehem.

Herod told the wise men about the little town to the southeast, and then that sly wolf asked them sweetly, ‘WHEN’ they had first seen their “guiding star.” After they’d mounted camels and were leaving, Herod called to them, “When you find Him, bring me word so I can come and worship Him too.”

The wealthy Eastern Magi easily found the house where the King of the Jews was living, for the “shining light” stood right over the roof (much like it had over the Tabernacle in the wilderness). They worshipped the Boy King, gave gifts to His parents, and then quietly departed, taking a way home that avoided Jerusalem, for God had warned them not to return to Herod.

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Matthew 2:13-15.

Joseph and Mary, with the young Jesus on her hip, waved to the camel train as it faded into the sunset. They came back inside, still in a state of wonder, hardly believing until they saw again the gifts the Magi had brought. Then, it seems that as soon as they retired, the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.

“Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.”

Joseph must have sat up immediately and awakened Mary, who gently woke Jesus. Hurriedly, they packed their few belongings, some food, and Joseph’s tools into sacks, along with the Magi’s gifts, and loaded a small donkey cart. Within hours of the wise men leaving, Joseph had his family on the road to Egypt.

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(What a righteous man. No wonder God chose Joseph to care for His Son during the boy’s growing-up years. Immediate obedience, without question: how many of us could or would obey so quickly?)

The Magi’s gold paid for the trip and a place to stay in Egypt. The myrrh and frankincense from the East (very rare and valuable in Egypt) helped to keep the family until Joseph could get established again.

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(What perfect timing! We can always trust our omniscient God with fearful surprises and “unknown” futures. He is THERE before we are. And He has already taken care of our expenses.)

Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I have called my Son,” which speaks of God bringing the nation of Israel out of captivity. Here, Matthew uses it more as a “picture” or “allegory” than a prophecy.

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Matthew 2:16-18.

Herod soon realized the Magi had tricked him.

How long would it take to travel the 6-8 miles to Bethlehem, look and ask around, and find that kid? Even if they stayed a few days, they should have returned to Jerusalem by now. He was furious.

He called his most devious and loyal henchmen and sent them to Bethlehem. Their orders? To kill all the male children in the town and the region who were two years old or younger.

The above line is easy to type, but oh, the horror of such a plan to consider and imagine. Mothers and babies screaming as the henchmen wield their huge swords, leaving the little ones dead and in pieces. Parents trying to hide the little ones, but having them wrenched from their arms and slaughtered before their eyes. Oh, the weeping and wailing! The heartbreak. The ghastly horror!

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Again, Matthew quotes O.T. scripture to describe (more than predict) the horrific massacre.

Jeremiah 31:15 says, “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children: she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Jeremiah’s prophecy was of the Babylonian captivity, when weeping and wailing accompanied the deaths and deportation of the Jews from their homeland. Their lamentation prefigured the pain that occurred that day in Bethlehem.

But, horrendous as it was – the death of all those sweet boys, the hopes of their fathers and mothers – the more atrocious idea was that Herod knowingly attempted to kill Israel’s promised Messiah. It was the first of many attempts, and it would finally happen, but only in God’s way and in God’s time.

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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (9/4): John 21:15-23.

Sep4

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“What is that to you? YOU follow me.” John 21:23.

REVIEW – Back in Galilee, seven of the disciples decide to go fishing – their OLD occupation – while they wait for Jesus. This effort yields zero fish. Then Jesus appears and basically tells them how to do their job. They obey, and this time the reward is a humongous catch of fish. (Lesson one: without Jesus, we can do nothing. But submit to Him, and our efforts will be fruitful, 30x, 60x, or even 100x.)

Jesus had prepared some bread and grilled fish for breakfast. He could have multiplied His small amount to feed them all, but He asked the disciples to bring some of the fish THEY had caught to the meal. He finished cooking them, broke the bread, and passed around this “familiar” meal. (Lesson two: Jesus can use whatever we willingly give Him to further His Kingdom and bless others.)

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John 31:15-17.

After breakfast, no one left the circle; instead, they turned toward Jesus, perhaps expecting Him to give them more instruction. They all learned something that morning; it’s true, but it was to Peter that Jesus directed His words.

“Simon, son of John (bar Jonah), do you love me MORE THAN THESE?” (Notice that Jesus uses Peter’s “old” name, meaning he was “walking in the flesh, not the spirit.” Peter remembered how he had at one time boasted that, “Though THEY ALL fall away because of you, I WILL NEVER fall away!” Matt.26:33)

“Yes, Lord, You know that I love you.” Did he feel the hot stares of the other disciples on him? Did he glance around at the other disciples for confirmation? All were silent. But they HAD heard.

Jesus didn’t contradict Peter; He instructed him, “Feed My lambs.” Peter’s mission was to care more for OTHERS than for himself.

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Then Jesus continued. “Simon, bar Jonah, do you love ME?”

“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” Peter said, perhaps more quietly. Was he remembering how he’d once, twice… three times denied Jesus? Swearing that he did not even KNOW his Lord? I can imagine Peter squeezing his eyes closed as tears began.

“Tend My sheep,” Jesus instructed, challenging Peter to be a good shepherd over those he would lead, as his Master was.

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And then, for the third time, came that stinging, probing question, “Simon bar Jonah, do you love me?”

Peter, grieved perhaps as much as when he’d heard the rooster crow and remembered Jesus’ dark prediction, may have fallen to his knees at this point. “Lord … You know everything! You KNOW that I love You!”

Peter’s true humility and sorrow for his denials are revealed. Jesus knew it, but now the other disciples had witnessed it. He grew tall again in their estimation, although he was bowed low at Jesus’ feet. The others could now trust him to lead them again.

I imagine Jesus gently smiling as he reached out and pulled Peter to his feet. “Feed my sheep.” And I imagine Peter nodded.

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John had now shown the THIRD thing he wanted to make clear in this “epilogue chapter” – Peter’s reinstatement into leadership. That done, he was ready for that pesky rumor. The FOURTH thing he needed to do was reveal how the rumor started, then refute it.

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John 31:18-23.

After Jesus finished calling out the veracity of Peter’s love, and seeing Peter humble himself for ready service, He led him apart for a different revelation. Best friend John followed quietly along.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, Peter, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

Jesus said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. (imprisonment and crucifixion – stretching out his hands)

Perhaps Peter was thinking about Jesus’ words to them in Matthew 16:24-28. Read them now as Peter might have been recalling them….

  • Matthew 16:24 – “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me.
  • 16:25 – “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
  • 16:26 – “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
  • 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done,
  • AND THEN…..
  • 16:28 – “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Wait, what? What did Peter just remember???

Walking with Jesus on the beach of Galilee, after breakfast and a difficult but sweet time of restoration, Peter remembered THOSE WORDS?

He looks at John and says to Jesus, “Lord, what about THIS man?”

Oh, no, that not-so-friendly competition raises its head. If Peter is destined to die, crucified, what about John? Will he suffer that death too? Or will he be one of those who…?

Then Jesus speaks the words that someone heard and spread as a rumor. “If it is My will that he remain until I come…what is it to you? YOU follow me.”

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Of course, Jesus was not promising that His beloved disciple would live until He returned. Jesus’ point was for Peter to ‘mind his own business.’ Peter was to accomplish Jesus’ will for HIS life, and not look at others’. Keep your eyes on Jesus, Peter! Follow in His steps.

By telling how it started, John hoped to quell this rumor.

By the way, Peter lived 30 more years and was martyred in Rome by crucifixion, hanging upside down. John lived 60+ more years and suffered torture and exile. God preserved him to write the book of Revelation; then he died a natural death of old age.

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John 21:24-25.

John then attests to the fact that it is HE, JOHN, who has written this. He is a WITNESS of these things. That should settle it. And then, before he lays his quill down for the final time, John’s mind is filled with many, many other things he could write about Jesus. Then he “waxed poetic.”

“Were every one of the things that Jesus did to be written… I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

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“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.“

The famous last stanza of the classic Christian hymn The Love of God, written by Frederick M. Lehman in 1917.

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Next up, The Gospel of Matthew.

Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/31): John 20:11-18.

Aug31

Read and Believe in Jesus.

“I have seen the Lord!” John 20:18

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REVIEW – Mary Magdalene and a few other women went to Jesus’ grave early Sunday morning with burial spices, not realizing that Joseph and Nicodemus had already prepared Jesus’ body. Mary was ahead of the group, eager to arrive, and perhaps more emotional. She saw the stone rolled away from the tomb and assumed the worst.

Leaving the other women (who would see angels and hear the good news), Mary ran to where Peter and John were, carrying the message, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid Him.”

Shocked at her words, both Peter and John ran to see if it was true. Both entered the tomb and saw the niche or shelf where Jesus had lain; only HE was not there. The grave clothes and head napkin lay collapsed as if Jesus had vanished through them. John “believed” that He’d been resurrected, but didn’t understand that the resurrection was part of the salvation plan.

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John 20:11-13.

While Peter and John returned home, Mary slowly, and weeping all the way, walked back to the garden where Jesus’ open tomb was.

By this time, the other women had taken the message the angels gave them (“Jesus has risen! Tell the disciples, and Peter, that He’s going ahead of them to Galilee and they will see Him there.“)

Mary stood outside the tomb for a moment, weeping, and then stooped down to look inside. Then she saw the two angels the other women had seen. “Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked her.

Blindly she answered, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him!”

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John 20:14-16.

Before the angels could speak to her, Mary straightened up and turned away from the grave, weeping even more profusely, perhaps with her face hidden in her scarf.

“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” said a figure before her.

Mary glanced up, supposing him to be a gardener, and cried out, “Sir! If you have carried Him away, please tell me where you have taken Him, and I will take Him away!”

And then that one word…. “Mary.”

(IMO, Jesus said her name with a light chuckle and a big smile, full of love and tenderness for this distraught but faithful disciple.)

However you imagine Jesus speaking to her, Mary immediately recognizes His voice when He says her name.

“Rabboni!” she cried out, which means “my Master!” in Aramaic.

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John 20:17-18.

Jesus then, almost immediately, says to Mary, “Do not cling to me…”

Perhaps she has fallen at his feet, holding them, her tears wetting them. Perhaps she would even dry them with her hair, as she had done one time, when Jesus was dining with a rich Pharisee.

At that incident, Jesus told the pious man, “The one who has been forgiven much, loves much.” (Mark 16:9 says that Jesus had cast out seven demons from Mary, so she must have “loved Him much.”)

But Jesus prevents her from clinging to him, hoping to keep Him on earth forever, as He has been until His death. Jesus tells her that His ascension back to Heaven to His Father is coming soon. He has only 40 days, and then He will go to the Father and send back the Holy Spirit to be with and in them.

Jesus also wants her to deliver a message to His disciples. “Go and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”

And Mary obeys her Master.

Canceling the panicked message she gave them before (“They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have laid Him!”), she now says confidently and joyfully, “I have seen the Lord.”

Mary was a messenger for Jesus, a sent one, or ‘apostle’ if you will. She was ‘an apostle to the apostles’, with that glorious message: HE LIVES.

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Alfred H. Ackley, 1887-1960

Verse 1
I serve a risen Savior,
He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him
He’s always near.

Verse 2
In all the world around me,
I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary
I never will despair;
I know that He is leading
Through all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing
Will come at last!

Verse 3
Rejoice, rejoice, oh Christian,
Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to
Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him,
The help of all who find,
None other is so loving,
So good and kind!

Chorus
He lives, He lives,
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart!
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Reading the Gospels in 2026 (8/28): John 20:1-10.

Aug28

Read and Believe in Jesus

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark… John 20:1

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REVIEW – After Jesus had been confirmed dead by a Roman Centurion, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two wealthy members of the Jewish Council (Sanhedrin) who were secretly seeking the Kingdom of God, came to Golgotha and took Jesus body away for burial.

Nicodemus brought a large amount of expensive spices and ointments, and perhaps the linen cloths. Joseph was supplying his own freshly hewn family tomb to lay Jesus’ body in. They were silent as they tightly wrapped the Messiah’s battered limbs and torso with the spice-laden linen strips, gently covering His face and head last in a separate cloth. Then they laid His body on one of the ledges.

When they finished, they rolled a large stone across the opening and went home. Sabbath silence descended on the tomb, the garden, the now empty Golgotha, and the Holy City.

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John 20:1-2

Early Sunday morning, as the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene came to the garden to do for Jesus’ body what Joseph and Nicodemus had already done. It was still dark, but Mary saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Seeing it already open that early was a shock.

Mark 16:1-4 adds this to the scene.

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to each other, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back. It was very large.

Mary Magdalene could think of nothing but to run to where she knew the disciples were hiding away.

When she saw Peter and John, she cried out, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him!”

Peter and John decided to go see for themselves, and Mary Magdalene returned slowly, her head bowed, her eyes filled with tears.

Meanwhile, according to Mark and Luke’s account, the other women approached the tomb and spoke to an angel(s), who told them Jesus had been resurrected and they were to go and tell the disciples. These two women ran off to do that.

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.John 20:3-10

Somehow the women bypassed Peter and John as they ran TOWARD the tomb.

John (remember that friendly competition between John and Peter!) says that HE ran faster than the older, bigger Peter and arrived at the tomb first. As Mary had told them, the stone HAD been rolled away, and so John stooped and peered inside.

Then came Peter, charging forth as he always did. Perhaps out of bravery, or perhaps because he just couldn’t stop quickly, he ran right past John into Jesus’ tomb. John then followed Peter. Together they saw the linen cloths lying there, collapsed, but still in the shape of a body, as if Jesus had risen straight up out of them. And the head cloth lay separately, not connected to the rest.

John says, “he believed.”

But what did John believe? His next line was, “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture that He MUST rise from the dead.”

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Could it be that John believed what his eyes saw at the moment (the empty grave clothes), but that he, as well as all of the disciples, had not yet comprehended the truth – that Jesus, as part of the salvation plan God put into place – HAD to be raised to life?

If Jesus had only died in the place of sinners, paying the debt of their sins like all the sacrifices, but had not risen … what hope would there be? The fact that God raised Jesus to life was proof that (first) HE accepted Jesus’ death as payment in full, and (second), He would then return to Heaven to be with His Father forever.

And (third), perhaps more importantly, God had PROMISED His Beloved Son that He would NOT abandon His soul to the grave, nor let His body see the corruption that happens there. Read Psalm 16:9-10.

John didn’t understand all that yet, but they all would later, after the Holy Spirit empowered them. Read Peter’s sermon opening in Acts 2:22-27

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After death, we who believe will also be resurrected, given new bodies, and spend eternity with Him in heaven! Jesus is the firstfruits. We are the whole harvested crop!